Fallen Angel
by Nightfall Warrior
Summary: One night changed her life.. She fell from grace and flourished the world of shadows.. But when destiny comes into play, can she fight her instincts and walk in the light or will the road back to the underworld become too great?.. Where do her true loyalties lie?.. One moment can be the difference between life and death.. fem!merlin..
1. Prologue: Renagade

**Title:** Fallen Angel.. (previously Dark Angel)  
**Rating:** T.. (Maybe M in later chapters)  
**Summary:** One moment can be the difference between life and death.. One moment can be the difference between right and wrong.. One moment can change someones life forever.. fem!merlin..  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing..

**A/N:** So I haven't written anything in a long while.. After being inspired by some very well written stories (**A Twist on Legend by gilesc3** amongst others) I decided to relax and use the start of my summer break doing something that I used to enjoy.. Writing :).. Since coming up with several ideas, I finally came up with an idea that I liked and it has since taken on a life of its own.. I know many people don't like the idea of a female version of Merlin, but I thought it would be interesting on how things would be different so I thought I would give it a shot.. Be warned though, this isn't your usual fem!merlin story.. Characters may be the same, but their roles, backstory and even loyalties are completely turned on it's head.. Hope you enjoy and I welcome feedback.. xx

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**Prologue** – Renegade

The skies opened, flooding the ground below. No one was out in this weather. One by one the lights in the houses were extinguished, leaving only the torches that lined the walls of the castle and the flashes of lightning as to see by. The guards took shelter in a small cabin at the sides of the gates. Lightning struck through the skies, crashing into the highest trees in the forest.

A silhouette stood in the window of one of the rooms in the castle, the Prince's room to be more precise. The blonde haired man looked over the treacherous weather as his servant came into his room.

"Your supper, my Lord." The young boy said.

"Thank you, Morris." The Prince told him. "You are dismissed for the evening."

"Thank you, my Lord." Morris bowed, even though the Prince was facing the other way.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"_Run!" _

"_Go to the forest."_

"_Now! Run!"_

"_You must go now."_

"_Go to the forest and don't look back."_

"_Remember everything I taught you, keep your abilities hidden and stay safe"_

"_Run!.. Run.. I love you.." _

-x-x-x-x-x-

Standing in the shadows of the forest, she stood. She was not the young girl she once was. Her dark hair flattened and stuck to her head, coming to just below her shoulders. Her toned shape was covered in leather armor that fit her like a glove, with two blades strapped to her sides. Over her shoulders hung a strung bow and a quiver of arrows. Daggers lined her belt as she had a small pack slung over her shoulder.

Her blue eyes turned gold as she focused in on a figure standing at the window of the castle. Things were about to change.

-x-x-x-x-x-


	2. Chapter 1: The Fallen One

_A/N: As I mentioned in the previous a/n some of the character's relationships and roles are different in this story. For example, **Morgana is the Princess of Camelot**, being a full sibling of Arthur's and sharing the same mother as well. Hopefully I have made it clear within the story of the changes but just incase there were any doubt feel free to ask :).. **Thank you for the reviews/follows and I hope you enjoy xx**_

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**Part I**

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 1 – The Fallen One**

Morning sun rose above the horizon. Raindrops fell from the leaves of trees as excess water ran down the roads into drains. The sounds of a city waking up began as a new day dawned. Villagers began to open up their stalls, mothers going out to the water pump to collect a bucket or two before heading back home to sort their children out for the day.

Arthur was up with the sun, as he had been for as long as he could remember. As usual, his breakfast was waiting for him on the table in his chambers. Getting up from the bed, he picked up an apple as he made his way to the clothes that were set out for him. Removing his sleeping clothes, he quickly washed before putting on the pants and tunic, eating the apple as he did so.

Lacing up his boots, his servant entered the room. "The King requests your presence, my Lord." He spoke, stood up straight and with his hands behind his back.

"Thank you, Morris. Please tell him I will be with him shortly." With a nod of the head, Morris left the Prince alone once more. He picked at some of the other food that was laid out in front of him before quickly eating it, and off to begin his day.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Heading down the long corridors of the castle, he didn't even notice the tapestries hanging on the walls anymore. The shields and other decorations went unnoticed by everyone other than visitors these days. Guards stationed on doors and patrolling the grounds barely give him a second glance. Some of them nodded to him, and opened doors for him as he walked by.

The great hall was the largest room in the castle. At the head of the room sat three thrones. The largest and most central was for the King, the Princess' to the left and his own to the right facing him. Only special occasions and audiences would require him to be sat in it. A large table ran down the center of the room, with the chairs that were usually placed around it off to the sides of the room.

At the table stood the King, leaning over documents that covered the table. Next to him was his mother's brother, his father's best friend and the King's most trusted advisor, his Uncle, Lord Agravaine. Other members of the court were standing around the table, discussing what he could only conclude as something important to have a council meeting at this time in the morning.

"Arthur, there you are." The King acknowledged him as he came further into the room. "There are important matters to be discussed." Arthur came to a stop at the table, as many of the council members nodded to him in greeting. Looking down at the documents on the table, he had been right in his assessment. They were documents and maps on the locations of possible magic users within the kingdom. It was his father's passion, eradicating those with magic. Since a sorceress had killed his mother, the King had been adamant in his pursuit.

"We have received information from a contact of mine in one of the towns in the outer Kingdom that a group of sorcerers were spotted heading east." Agravaine spoke. "The King has ordered for their capture, or if they resist, their executions."

"If they are heading east, surely they will soon no longer be within the Kingdom's borders. Pursuing them could be seen as an act of war against Cenred, to which he will respond in kind." Arthur stated. "Is it a good idea to continue with this?"

"Arthur, they have magic. I don't need to remind you how dangerous these people are, do I?" Uther asked his son.

"Of course not. I am just wary of what this could do to our already shaky agreement with Cenred." Arthur explained.

"Cenred does not punish those with magic as we do. If these magic users get to Cenred, it could end up being used against us if Cenred decides to attack us." Agravaine told him. "If we don't stop them then it could end up being worse for us in the long term."

"When do I leave?" Arthur asked, accepting his father and uncle's decision.

"You don't." Uther told him. "Agravaine can take a small number of men and complete the mission without incident easily enough. It is his contact that gave us this information. You are needed here, for the festivities."

"Ahh, yes. The Festival of the Great Purge. Always a highlight of the year." Agravaine commented, patting his brother-in-law on the shoulder. "One thing is for sure, you know how to throw a good party."

"If there is nothing else Father, I must go and train with some of the Knights before beginning patrol." The Prince told his father.

"Of course, you are dismissed." Bowing to the King, Arthur turned and left the King and the council as he made his way down to the Armory.

x-x-x-x-x

Morris was stood waiting for him. Without instruction, Morris helped him put on his chainmail and handing him his sword before following him out into the practice grounds. He spent an hour training the possible Knight recruits, shouting orders and watching them complete the tasks. As time went by, the Knights emerged from the armory, ready to practice. When he counted that most of them were there, he called for them all to pair off and begin sparing.

Arthur looked around the grounds, an eerily feeling coming over him, like somehow they were being watched. He saw the usual crowds of people making their way down the paths surrounding the grounds and watched as they glanced in their direction.

"Sire?" Leon asked as he watched his Prince search the grounds. "Is there something wrong?"

Arthur looked around once more, before deciding he was being paranoid. "It's nothing." He dismissed it. "Shall we continue?"

He began his usual dance with Sir Leon, one of his oldest and most trusted friends. They fought back and forth, until Arthur had disarmed him. "You still have to work on your footwork, Leon. But it's getting better." He told him, giving him a pat on the back. "Obviously not enough to beat me." He smirked.

Leon just laughed at his friend's arrogance. For as long as he could remember, Arthur had always been competitive. He was breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath. Once their spar was over, he looked around once again as he caught his breath. He couldn't shake the feeling. Something was off, but he didn't know what.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The courtyard was crowded, people wanting to see the sorcerer pay for his crimes. Arthur stood on the steps of the castle, keeping an eye on the crowd. The King had yet to appear and was probably fighting with Morgana as he waited. It happened every year, so it wouldn't be surprising. Knights lined the courtyard, ready to interfere incase anything happened. There had been times when someone would try to be a hero or if a fight broke out, but the knights' presence usually prevented people from doing anything.

His senses reared up once more. Something was off. His senses were never normally wrong, but he could sense something different. Maybe it was the magic since they were executing a sorcerer. He had to focus; he had a job to do. Make sure that the sentencing went off without a hitch. He would deal with the rest later. His eyes stayed searching the shadows.

The castle doors opened, revealing the King who stepped out to the top of the stone steps. He began the sentencing of the sorcerer. He focused back on the crowd as the King began his speech, condemning the man who was to be beheaded for using magic. He saw Morgana watching from the balcony of the castle. She disagreed with the King's judgment of public executions. They had been brought up wary of magic users. The King started his war against magic after a sorceress had killed the Queen, their mother.

"Let this serve as a lesson to all. This man, Thomas James Collins, is judged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic. And, pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death. I pride myself as a fair and just king, but for the crime of sorcery there is but one sentence I can pass."

Gasps in the crowd filled the air, facing turning away from the scene in front of them as the axe was lowered, carrying out the punishment.

"When I became ruler to this land, this kingdom was mired in chaos, but with the people's help magic was driven from the realm. So I declare a festival to celebrate twenty years since Camelot freed from the evil of sorcery. Let the celebrations begin." He announced joyously from the steps.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Darkness had overcome the castle and the city. Arthur had finished his rounds, making sure that the guards were on duty and that everything was being prepared for the festivities that were about to take place.

He entered his bedchamber pausing in the doorway. The feeling of being watched came over him once more. Hand on his sword; he cautiously entered the room, scanning it for any signs that anyone was there or any danger. His face scrunched up in confusion as he checked everywhere in the room, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

Footsteps from down the hall caught his attention, and soon his manservant was entering the room, arms filled with plates of food for the young Prince.

"Do you need anything else, my Lord?" Morris asked him, standing tall with his arms behind his back.

"That will be all Morris." He dismissed the servant for the evening. Morris bowed before him before quickly departing the room before he could change his mind.

He quickly looked around the room once more, the feeling leaving him for a moment. He quickly changed into his nightclothes, and ate some of the food that Morris had brought in.

He lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking over the day's events. Something was going on in Camelot, and his senses told him to be alert. He slept that night, with his hand wrapped around the handle of his dagger beneath his pillow.

x-x-x-x-x

"Is there any word from Lord Agravaine?" Uther asked one of his advisors, as they were finishing up a meeting.

"Last we heard he had found the trail heading towards the Mountains of Andor. It seems like they are heading north, my Lord." The balding man told him. "I fear that if they enter Cenred's Kingdom and Agravaine follows, it could cause war between the two Kingdoms. Cenred has been looking for a reason to strike against Camelot and it would give him the perfect excuse."

"It has worried me also since Arthur brought it up, however we can not let those sorcerers to leave the Kingdom or ally with Cenred. It must be done." Uther insisted. "Keep me updated on the situation."

"Of course, my Lord. Is there anything else?" The man asked.

"No, you may go." Uther dismissed him, before sitting back in his chair and sighing.

He had been sat in silence thinking for a moment of the options. It had gone dark hours ago, and he would retire for the night soon. The plans for the festival were in full swing and the Lady Helena had arrived, preparing for the performance the next night at the banquet. Taking on last look at the papers on his desk, he sighed before standing and leaving the study, locking the door behind him.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur walked the castle hallways, on his usual round. He had almost forgotten about the strange feelings he had been getting the day before until he came to the hallway, which located his father's office.

He told the guards that he was with to halt for a moment. He unlocked the King's study, before entering it and having a look around. Nothing seemed to be out of place, other than the open window letting a breeze into the room. Walking over to the window, he looked out, not seeing anything amiss before closing it and locking it before he exited the room as he had found it.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Sat at the large table full of people he really wished he didn't have to be in the company of was one of the things he hated about being a prince. Laughing at jokes he didn't understand, making small talk and having the Lords daughters shamelessly flirting with him and throwing themselves at him. He could see his sister laughing at the uncomfortable look on his face whenever one of them walked past.

Looking around, he signalled to Morris to refill his wine. He would need it if he was ever going to get through this evening. They were just finishing their meals and then Lady Helena was going to sing. He'd heard her singing before, and she was very good, but right now his only desire was to get out of this place.

"May I present the Lady Helena." Uther announced as the woman herself stood and prepared herself in the centre of the room as the crowd clapped.

His eyes glanced around, getting tired of the feelings that he had been feeling for the past three days now. Last night near Uther's office he decided was just the noise of the wind coming through the window that had given him a feeling that something was wrong. After all, who could climb, unaided up the four floors to climb through the study window?

Clapping snapped him out of his thoughts and he quickly realised that he had spent the whole time that Helena was singing, staring off into space. He quickly composed himself, clapping along with everyone else before taking a quick glance in Morgana's direction. She sat, with a smile gracing her features, but he knew her better than that. She hated this time of year. It reminded her of what they had lost, but also of the death of so many others.

x-x-x-x-x

The King had announced that a tournament between the Knights was to be held on the final day of the celebrations as a curtain closer for the festival. Arthur was in the training grounds, getting some last minute practise in before the other Knights left the armoury. Arthur swung his sword at a dummy in the training grounds. This tournament meant a lot to his father, and he was of course expected to win. It would begin soon, and he was warming up his muscles.

The feeling came back, but this time he saw something that was out of the ordinary, or rather someone. In the distance, in the middle of the market he saw her. She was just stood there, looking up at him. He couldn't really get a good look at her, but he could see two weapons holstered by her side and a bow of her back. Villagers passed in front of her, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone. His eyes searched for the woman again, but she was nowhere to be seen.

His focus was drawn to the rowdy Knights who were making their way to the tournament as Leon called his name. "Arthur! You coming?" His oldest friend asked. Arthur nodded, looking back into the market once more before making his way towards the arena.

x-x-x-x-x

The crowds had gathered in numbers to watch the Knight's tournament. Everyone was cheering and encouraging the Knights as they fought bravely. It was a test to first blood.

Many of the fights had been entertaining. Arthur had won all of his bouts so far and was currently watching as whoever won this contest would face him in the final. He was studying his possible opponents with concentration. He had helped to train all of these men, grown up with many of them. He watched as the fight ended and the winner was announced.

"And the final bout will be between Sir Terance and Prince Arthur!" The announcer shouted above the cheering crowds. The fight would begin shortly, giving the other finalist time to get patched up if needed. Soon, the final began. 'Ooo's and 'ahh's filled the arena as Arthur and the Knight began their fight.

Arthur swung, while dodging an attack from his Knight. Sir Terance was one of the best Knights he had trained and he wasn't at all surprised that he had advanced to the final. Quickly thinking of any weaknesses that he had shown while being trained, Arthur started to attack low, knowing that he used to have the problem of not being quick enough switching from one style of defence to another.

It didn't take Arthur too long to knock the Knight off his feet, and pointed his sword to the other man's neck. The crowd cheered as Arthur defeated his final opponent before helping him to his feet. The other Knight bowed before the victor and removed himself gracefully from the arena, leaving Arthur to bask in his glory.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you, your champion, Prince Arthur!" Uther announced from his position in the stand. Everyone began to cheer once more.

x-x-x-x-x

Everything happened so fast. One second everyone was cheering for him, and the next he was being pushed out of the way of a flying dagger that was heading straight towards him. He was pushed to the side, before the person caught the handle of the dagger in mid air, before flinging it back towards its owner. The cheers turned into screams as a balding man dropped to his knees, with the dagger he had thrown embedded into his chest.

Gasps and screams came from the crowds as the events unfolded in front of their eyes. Arthur looked between the two other people in the arena with him, one dead and the other on one knee, with an arm outstretched from the throw, eyes dead set on where the tip of the dagger had punctured the man's chest. He took a moment to look at his saviour. He did a double take as he recognised her. It was the woman he had seen earlier.

She looked no older than 20, and her armor left little to the imagination, leather looking armor skin tight against her flesh. Her dark slight curls came down around her shoulders. Her clear blue eyes, clouded over in anger and pain.

Uther stood from his seat, wide eyed as the crowd quietened down. "You.." He pointed towards the girl. The girl looked almost nervous for a moment before standing and facing the King. Arthur quickly got up from the ground and saw guards surrounding the body that was bleeding out. "What is your name?"

"Merlyn, your Highness." She spoke, sounding strong and confident.

"What is your business in Camelot?" He asked.

"I came for the festival, my Lord." Arthur couldn't take his eyes off her, still in shock.

"Merlyn?" Gaius, the court physician stepped into the arena. "Is that you, my girl?" The girl looked towards where he stepped into the grounds, recognition flowing across her face.

"Gaius, you know this girl?" Uther asked his old friend.

"Indeed I believe I do, my Lord." Gaius confirmed. "She is my niece, or rather great niece."

"Well, in any case, you saved my son's life, you shall be rewarded." He announced. Uther began speaking to the crowds, calming them down and reassuring them before everyone started to leave.

x-x-x-x-x

Arthur found her, at the top of the battlements that evening. "I owe you a thank you, for saving my life." He came to stand beside her. She looked a lot less dangerous without most of her weapons. She didn't respond to him, or even acknowledge that he was even there. "I was told that you refused a reward from my father."

"I did not save your life for a reward." She told him bluntly, eyes never leaving the horizon that she was looking at.

"Well, whatever the case, I wish to thank you." Once again, he received no reply. "How long will you be staying in Camelot?" He asked.

"Not long." Her voice gave nothing away to what she was thinking. There was something about this girl that didn't quite sit right with him. She was different, and a mystery.

"Well, I wish you luck where ever your travels take you next." He said, taking once last glance at her before he stepped away and continued on with his duties for the evening.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Gaius had brought her back to his quarters after the tournament. He insisted that she stayed with him for the duration of her stay and nothing could change his mind.

Merlyn was quietly eating her dinner as Gaius kept looking up from his to look at her.

"There's something different about you, Merlyn." He mentioned. "You're not the same child I remember."

She stopped eating before looking up at him. "I'm not the same person I once was. Things… happened and I had to adapt."

"You still have your magic I assume." Her eyes widened in panic. How did he know about that? "I've known you since you were a child, I remember your father having to counter every one of your spells."

"I've never told anyone about my magic or talked about it with anyone before." She whispered.

He smiled fondly. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." He paused for a moment before continuing speaking, as she stayed silent.

x-x-x-x-x

Stood in the forest, she waited impatiently. "You were meant to kill him, not save his life." A voice from behind her spoke.

"You sent someone else to do my job." She turned, glaring at the man in front of her. "You said you trusted me, Helios."

"I was clearly right in my judgement in sending someone else. You failed your mission." Helios growled at her. "You disobeyed orders."

"You betrayed my trust! I said I would do it, and you didn't believe in me enough to let me do it. Goodbye Helios." She turned and began to walk away.

"If you leave, you can never come back." He warned her. "Everything you have worked towards will be destroyed. You are nothing without us!"

She paused for a moment, turning back to him. "I am much more that you could ever imagine."

"So what, you are going to go back to them? The people who killed your family? You are weak." He shouted.

"You know nothing of my family. You have no idea how far I will go to avenge them." She growled. "Keep your men out of my way, otherwise you will be losing your recruits one by one. Stay the hell out of my way."

x-x-x-x-x


	3. Chapter 2: The Way of the Warrior

x-x-x-x-x

**Chapter 2 – The Way of the Warrior**

Arthur was out, early morning training his Knights. Merlyn, dressed in her dark leathers carrying several weapons, was stood at the edge of the grounds watching them. "Arthur." Leon got his friends attention, before nodding to the woman. "She's been there a while, just watching."

Arthur turned to where his friend was looking, spotting her leaning against a wooden fence which stood in between the path to the castle and the grass where they trained. Turning back to look at his Knights, he saw they were all still sparing. "Take over will you?" Arthur asked Leon.

"Are you sure?" Leon asked. "She could be dangerous." Leon had been very wary of her appearance, even after she had saved Arthur's life. He didn't trust her, not yet.

"Just watch them will you." The Prince told him before making his way to the edge of the grounds.

Merlyn didn't look towards his approach, her eyes focused on his Knights, studying and calculating. "May I help you?" He asked when he was within speaking distance. He was only a couple of feet away from her when he stopped his advance, crossing his arms and waiting for her response. She didn't speak, ignoring his presence. "Excuse me." He tried again, getting no answer.

He followed her line of sight, and saw it was still trained on his Knights. Her voice startled him when she finally broke the silence. "You leave your left side open to attack when you swipe." She spoke. Her voice was harsh and cold.

"And you can see that all the way from over here?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. "That's a nice assortment of weapons you have there if I must say." He said, looking at the short swords by her sides and her bow that rested over her shoulder.

"Choose your weapon." Her voice was like ice.

"You are challenging me?" His heart almost turned to ice when her eyes turned to his own.

"Choose your weapon." She repeated looking him in the eyes before she pushed herself off the fence she was leaning against and walked over to where the Knights were. "Or fight without one."

Arthur followed her, glancing only to see Leon's worried features as the woman took her bow and arrows, and belt of throwing knives off her person and placed them on the ground, before unsheathing her short swords.

Picking up his sword and shield once again, he walked towards her. "Terms?" He asked.

"First blood." She stated, spinning the swords in her hands, before taking up a defensive position.

Arthur followed her lead, taking up a defensive stance. Some of the Knights saw what was going on and had stopped their sparring to watch. The two began circling each other. Arthur watched her moves closely, he could see in her eyes that she was calculating his moves as he was trying to do the same to her, but he was at a disadvantage. She had watched him spar with Leon only moments earlier, whereas he had no idea of her fighting style.

After a second, she attacked. Feigning an attack one way, she struck the other, but Arthur had anticipated her move, as she had balanced out her weight. Blocking the attack with his shield, his sword clashed with one of hers as she tried to counter. He watched as she spun, kicked his shield pushing it away which in turn made him have to take a step backwards. She spun the swords in her hands once more before taking up her stance once more.

This time, she waited for him to make the move. His sword rested on top of the shield, and only a second later, he lunged towards her. She spun, letting the sword miss her, before she swung at his shield, and beginning a flurry of attacks on him. Arthur managed to defend himself from her attacks quite easily, but he started to feel the attacks on his shield arm. He flexed his hand to get a better grip.

The pattern continued on for several minutes. All the Knights were stood around watching their leader fight this mysterious woman. Not long after, Arthur found his sword being knocked out of his hand. He quickly blocked the round of attacks that came at him before he could roll out of the way and collect his sword once again, sacrificing his shield in the process.

She had his outnumbered in weapons, and knowing that she only used two shorts as both attack and defense, he needed to change his tactics. She was more flexible and slight making it easier for her to move around. Her short swords didn't take as much effort to move as his larger sword did. She also wasn't weighted down with chainmail, making her leather armor much easier to fight in, yet gave less protection.

Sensing her opportunity, she dropped to the ground, sweeping his legs from underneath him; she positioned her swords at his neck as she stood over him, breathing heavily as was he. He lay breathless on the ground and gazed into her eyes. He could see an internal battle happening in her blue orbs as her swords stayed in position for longer than necessary. She pricked the skin on his neck, drawing blood and in turn winning the bout.

When she looked up, she saw guards surrounding her, crossbows aimed at her. After a second she took a step away from the defeated Prince, throwing her swords to the ground. Two guards stepped up behind her, one with chains in his hands.

"Wait." Arthur called as he stood from his fallen position. "Let her go." The guards took a step back and lowered their crossbows. He brushed himself off before standing in front of his victorious opponent. "You are a skilled fighter, where did you learn?" He asked.

"Around." She responded before collecting her fallen weapons and pushing past him, heading in the direction of the lower town. He watched after her until she was out of sight.

"My Lord, are you alright?" Leon asked, standing beside his friend.

"I am fine." His eyes not drifting from her form until she was out of sight.

"I have never seen anyone fight like that, let alone a woman!" Leon stated.

"She's… something else." Arthur agreed before turning to his Knights and ordering them back to training.

x-x-x-x-x

"You wished to see me, Father." Arthur announced his presence in the great hall as he entered.

"What is this I hear of Gaius' niece attacking you in the training grounds this morning?" Uther asked, looking up from his lunch.

"She challenged me and I accepted. She did not attack me." Arthur corrected him.

"She not only challenged you, but this Kingdom. Do you know how it looks that a girl beat the best Knight of Camelot in a duel? You have a reputation to uphold and fighting a girl is not the way to do it."

"Father, she noticed something that I hadn't in my own fighting from 50 yards away. She is a capable fighter and if she is as good with a bow or daggers, which I suspect that she is, then any opponent should fear her." He could only imagine her skills with the other weapons that she carried.

"That is exactly my point! Where she learnt to do those things is what worries me, Arthur."

"Her skills could be valuable, we could use her." Uther considered his son for a moment wondering why he was defending this woman who had basically humiliated him. "Let me find out how she learnt to fight like that."

"If you are suggesting that she be made a Knight, then you will be disappointed. You know the rules." Uther dismissed his idea.

"I know father, but what about something else. She would be the equivalent of a Knight."

"What are you proposing?" Uther asked intrigued.

"She could be highly valuable when out on patrol. I know she turned down a reward for saving my life, but perhaps offering her a position within the fighting ranks would be reward enough and we could learn from her. Create a new group of skilled warriors or something. It could only make us stronger." Arthur suggested.

"Alright." Uther agreed. "We will see how this works. She may accompany you on scouts and patrols and we will discuss this further at a later time."

Arthur dismissed himself from the hall, returning to his chambers to wash and change before speaking to the woman. Food had been placed on his table once again for him. He made a plate for himself before he ordered Morris to go and tell Leon to take the lead on the afternoon's patrol. Wanting to know more about her fighting styles, Arthur turned his attention to the one person he knew would probably have the answers.

x-x-x-x-x

"My Lord." Gaius greeted him upon entry. "How may I help you?" He asked.

Gaius was a kind old man. He had been in loyal service to his family for decades and he even brought him into this world. Arthur trusted him completely, and even spent many a day hiding in his chambers or reading his books in his youth. Sometimes Gaius had felt more like a father to him than his own had.

"Is there anything you can tell me of people who fight with two short swords?" Arthur asked.

"This wouldn't happen to be concerning Merlyn would it?" Gaius asked.

"I have never seen anyone fight the way that she does before." Arthur admitted.

"Well, I am afraid that I know just as much as you, my Lord. I didn't even know she was in Camelot until the tournament. I hadn't heard from her in almost a decade, if not longer." Gaius told him. "She is leaving again soon, so you may not get the answers that you are looking for."

"What if I were to convince her to stay?" Arthur asked. Gaius looking at him almost hopeful.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Her eyes were closed as he stood looking at her. She didn't acknowledge his presence, and he used the time to look at her properly. Her hair fell in light curls, rested just below her shoulders. She was slight, and he could imagine her body being very toned from the way she moved. Her leathers fit her perfectly, meaning that she had them made specifically and they looked slightly more substantial than normal leather armor, maybe even reinforced, but not enough to slow her down. The swords as well were the perfect length for her. Wherever she had been on her travels, she was certainly capable of looking after herself.

"Are you just going to stand there watching me all day or do you really have nothing better to do?" She asked, eyes still closed.

He let out a light chuckle before stepping closer to her, in a similar position to where they were when he thanked her for saving his life a few days ago. "Are you always this witty, Merlyn, or is it just for me?" He asked. "Where did you learn to fight like that?" He was met by silence. "Oh, we back to that now, not talking?" He looked for any change in her expression but there was none. He sighed, seeing it wouldn't work on her. "You've got to give me something to work with here. You show up in the city, save my life, watch the Knights train and then challenge me, which you had an advantage by the way."

"Where I learnt to fight has no relevance." She responded.

"I have a proposition for you. How about you stayed in Camelot?" Arthur had sort her out, making Leon take his duties for the afternoon as he tried to convince Merlyn on his idea. He had found her on the battlements, watching the lower town.

This took her by surprise. She turned to look at him confused. "Stay in Camelot? Doing what exactly?"

"Well, I can't exactly see you sweeping the floors and changing beds, or even going out picking herbs for Gaius." Arthur shrugged, looking over the Kingdom. "And you can't be Knight seeing as you are indeed a woman and not of noble birth."

"So what is your proposition?" She asked, turning her back to the city leaning back against the wall as he lean forward against it.

"You will be an advisor of sorts, for now anyway, until I persuade the King to allow me to create a new rank of Knights." He told her before going into more details on his idea. "I want you to accompany myself and my Knights on our patrols. We could learn from each other. My hope is to one day find other skilled warriors and create a new rank. They will be skilled fighters, men and women, not mattering what their background is and have skills that many of the Knights do not have and what can't be trained." He suggested. "I want you to help me create it."

"Why me?" She asked.

"You are probably the best fighter I have ever fought against, you're not afraid to go all out, and if you ever tell anyone I said that I will deny it." He grinned. Her face stayed neutral, not breaking out into a smile as he had hoped but looked more as though she was thinking. "How about you let me know?" He suggested before turning to walk away.

"I'll do it."

Pausing for a moment, he looked back at her, only to see her still looking in the distance. "Be at the training grounds first thing in the morning." He told her before continuing on his way.

x-x-x-x-x

They began training earlier, before the Knights came out for their session. The two began sparring, just as they had done the day before, this time without a crowd.

"Don't go easy on me." Arthur taunted her.

"Trust me, I won't." She snapped back, flinging her swords in his direction.

Her technique was a mystery to him. He had no idea how she managed to use two swords as both attack and defence. Normally, someone would be wide open with the lack of a shield, but Merlyn moved at such a pace that whenever he found or created an opportunity to strike, she cut him down.

They both broke a part when a servant came to the grounds, in search of Arthur. "Sorry to interrupt, my Lord, but the King has requested you." He bowed before quickly leaving.

Arthur sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow onto his forearm. "I guess this will have to wait." He told her, collecting his things from where he had dropped them. The chainmail was hot and heavy to train in, but it was a necessary evil unless he wanted to be unprepared in battle. Her armour was slightly better, but not by much as the leather retained heat. Her hair was braided into a tight French plait, keeping her hair out of her face.

He began to walk away, when he noticed that Merlyn was not following him. "Are you coming or what?" He asked.

"Last time I checked, I wasn't the Prince of Camelot." She shot back.

He just rolled his eyes before continuing walking. "Come on."

x-x-x-x-x

The council members were surrounding the table in the great hall. All of them looked up when Arthur entered, and stared in surprise as Merlyn followed in behind him.

"Gentlemen." He nodded in greeting which was reciprocated. "I'd like to introduce my.. erm.. new advisor, Merlyn." The council members shared a look with one another, not sure how to take this news.

"Arthur." Uther greeted him. "You and your Knights are to ride for the Northern Border. We have received word of bandits raiding villages."

"We shall leave as soon as possible." He became serious in an instant, before heading back in the direction that they had come, Merlyn following him out of the room.

"Merlyn, it is a two day travel to the Northern Border. Pack and meet us in the courtyard. I will have a servant saddle a horse up for you." He told her, leaving her stood in the corridor as he heading off to find a servant to inform his Knights of the new plans.

x-x-x-x-x

Standing in front of a beautiful dark brown mare, she almost let out a smile as she stroked its neck.

"Milady, that mare has bucked off every rider she has had, and is restless." A stable hand informed her.

"Does she look restless to you?" She asked. The boy just looked between the horse and the new woman to surprisingly find the horse fairly calm. The young mare hated being ridden, let alone meeting someone new. "Could you get me a saddle, please?" She asked, continuing to stroke the mare.

"Of course." He quickly went off in search of a saddle that would fit the horse, surprised that she had not caused a fuss.

Arthur attached the last of his bags to the horse that was waiting for him in the courtyard and looked up at the noise of hooves walking towards him.

He raised an eyebrow when he saw the horse that Merlyn was leading towards him, as the Leon and the two other Knights that would be accompanying them.

"You chose Taika?" He asked. She ignored his question as she mounted her horse, before waiting patiently for the others to be ready. "I will make you a bet. If she throws you at some point in this journey, you have to be my personal servant for a week." A smirk graced his face. He was trying to do something to break through her hard and cold exterior.

"And if she doesn't?" Merlyn asked.

"You can have her. A gift from me. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal." She patted the horse's neck once more.

"Where are your bags?" The lack of packed belongings was alarming to him. He saw only one pack, which was only half filled, attached to the saddle.

"I travel light." She simply stated, turning and headed out through the gates of the courtyard.

"Are you sure about this, sire?" Leon asked, mounted on his own horse, watching as she left the courtyard.

"Honestly? No." Arthur replied, mounting his horse before ordering the other Knights to move out, and followed after Merlyn.

x-x-x-x-x

**Please review and let me know what you think xx**


	4. Chapter 3: Stone Cold

_A/N - Thanks for the reviews.. I love to hear what you think.. Enjoy the update!.._

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**Chapter 3 – Stone Cold**

The Knights arrived at the village towards the Northern Border, after two days of riding. There was a subdued atmosphere in the air as they approached the small village. There couldn't be more than a hundred people living in the area. People slowly went about, trying to fix broken buildings, boarding up windows and sweeping up as the rode closer.

"What happened here?" Merlyn asked as they dismounted their horses once they came to the edge of the village.

"There were reports of a raid." Arthur told her, tying his horse to a fence, as were the other Knights. "Other than that, we don't really know." He looked around as he walked towards the centre of the small village, taking note of all the damage that was done.

Merlyn looked around. "What are we doing here exactly?" She asked. She saw women crying as they swept their yards, and children who were too afraid to venture outdoor, hiding in the doorways. When they would see them, they would quickly retreat into the house or behind their parents for protection.

Arthur turned to look at her somewhat shocked. "We are here to find out what happened and to help if we can."

"Why would you want to? What are they to you? You live miles away, why would you care what happened to a small village, barely within the borders of your Kingdom?"

Arthur's voice was caught in his throat. "I care because they are my people. If there is something that I can do, then I want to be able to help them. I care because it is my duty to care about my people, whether they live in Camelot or if they live on the outskirts. If they can give us information, we can bring the people who did this to justice so it means that these men can never do the same thing to another village, whether it be in out Kingdom, or another."

She turned to look at him, staying silent. She seemed to study his eyes for a moment, before her attention shifted to a man who was making his way towards them.

"My lord." He half bowed to Arthur before looking at Merlyn with suspicion. "I am Alrick, the leader of this village. I am afraid that you have come at a bad time."

"We received word of your situation and came to assist you in whatever way that we can. Can you tell me what happened here?" Arthur asked, in an assuring tone that he meant what he said.

"Two days ago some bandits raided the village. They came in the middle of the night, robbing houses, stealing food. Some of the men woke, and we tried to defend ourselves. We managed to fight them off, but not before they kidnapped three young girls." Merlyn's ears picked up when she heard this.

"Who were these girls? Was there anything special about them?" Merlyn asked him, ignoring the looks from the villages to her presence. No one had seen her before, especially riding with the Prince of Camelot and his Knights. She clearly wasn't a servant, and a female warrior was something to take note of.

"Not particularly. One was to be married next week, but other than that they were normal. They moved here from other villages, one with her family when she was a young girl, one a few years back and one a few months ago." He told her. "They are all around twenty years of age. Sarah, Mary and Heather are their names."

"Do you know which direction they left? Or any rumours of other similar situations happening?" Merlyn asked. Arthur wanted to ask her about her seemingly sudden change of attitude, but he felt as if what she had asked him before was a test.

"Off towards the east and into the forest." He said pointing the way. "Some of the men went after them, but they lost track."

Merlyn turned and began to walk towards where the forest began. Arthur watched her go before turning back to the man. "We will try what we can to find these men and bring them to justice. Some of my Knights will stay here and help you out in any way. I will do everything in my power to bring those girls home."

"Thank you, mi'lord." Alrick thanked him before heading over to comfort one of the women who were crying.

Arthur looked around the village. It broke his heart to see people suffering like this, especially his own people who he was meant to protect. He saw the group of Knights beginning to help with some of the tasks, and he caught Leon's attention before calling him over.

"Sire." Leon came to his side, awaiting his orders.

"Leon, I need you and the other Knights to stay here and help out around the town as much as you can. Merlyn and myself will go after the bandits, and try and track them down. It may be difficult with the amount of time that has passed and because of the tracks that will have been made by the men who went searching."

"Are you sure, Arthur? I'm not sure if I trust her yet." Leon admitted. "There is something off about her."

"I feel like she is testing me. It will be fine. Just make sure that if we are not back by noon tomorrow, you send word back to Camelot." Leon agreed, before Arthur headed over to where Merlyn was crouched down at the edge of the trees, looking at the boot prints and tracks.

"I'm going after them." She told him.

"We are going after them." He corrected her. "The Knights are staying while we track them down. How good is your tracking?" He asked. She just gave him a look that clearly said 'you are joking right?' "Right, lets go."

x-x-x-x-x

"So what's with the sudden change?" Arthur asked as they walked through the forest, carefully checking to make sure that they were going in the right direction.

"Change in what?" She asked, not looking up from her position crouched down, studying the footprints.

"One minute you were questioning why we would help, the next you were almost demanding to start on the trail for those responsible." He explained. "Anything you want to share?"

"Not really." She sighed, standing up and dismissing his curiosity. "The tracks are too worn down to tell anymore. The ground has been trampled."

"So what now?" Arthur thought aloud. "We can't keep going blindly."

"Give me a minute." Merlyn told him taking a step away from him.

"To do what exactly? You just said there are no tracks." He began to sound fed up with her less than helpful attitude.

"There is more than one way to track, Arthur." She berated him. He stayed silent for a few minutes as she stood, with her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes again, she pointed north. "They went that way."

Arthur looked amazed at her. "How do you know?" He asked suspect, not completely believing her.

"I lived in the woods for a long time. Some things you learn when you are out here, like which way a river is running without being able to see them, or sounds far away." She explained. "Now you can either stand here and question me, wasting even more time or we get going. We are a few hours behind."

Arthur stood in surprise and watched as she began walking in the direction that she had suggested. He took a moment before he set off after her.

x-x-x-x-x

They stopped for water and a rest, mostly staying silent, tension still rising high from her earlier outburst. Merlyn became rigid when heard a noise, quickly motioned for Arthur to be quiet. Making their way towards cover of the trees, and settled just before a man, wearing old and tattered armour came out, with another younger man, who didn't look much better.

"We are going too slow." The older of the two spoke. "At this rate we will be days behind schedule." He bent down at the river, picking up a handful of water, cooling himself off, and cleaning some dirt from his face.

"Why do we need to take the girls with us?" The younger asked as he filled up one of the canteens that he had in him hands.

"Boss wants them." He sighed, before heading towards the river. "We'll stay here tonight and continue at first light." They quickly finished filling up the canteens before heading back into the forest, chatting as they went.

Arthur put his hand on the handle of his sword, only to have Merlyn put her hand over his, stopping him. "I have an idea." She whispered, before quickly creeping further into the forest.

x-x-x-x-x

"This is your idea?" He asked in surprise as Merlyn took off her weapons and began to start to remove her amour. "How exactly will this help?"

"What do you think they will do if they see a helpless girl alone in the woods?" She asked, bending down to untie her boots. "Turn around!"

Quickly doing as she said, he turned, remembering that she was indeed a girl. "I don't see how you getting caught will help us get the other three out. What if they don't fall for it?"

"From what Alrick said, they took the three girls from the village that were aged about 20. I fit that description. They won't just let me go, and if things go west, you are there to help me kill them." She continued to remove her armour, as well as all of her weapons, putting them in a pile before pulling out a worn woollen dress from her pack. "The easiest way to find their camp will be to follow them. If they have someone in custody, they are less likely to notice if they have a tail. When we are there, they will most likely put me with the other girls, and then I can get them out, while you serve as a distraction."

He stared forward at a tree, listening carefully to what she was doing behind him. "A distraction? What exactly do you suggest that I do?" He asked. "I'm going to be outnumbered!"

"Oh stop being a baby!" She huffed, getting irritated quickly. "From what Alrick said, there are only four, five maximum. You can turn back round." She informed him.

He did as he was told, and turned to see her wearing the old dress, which came just below her knees, worn boots and was in the process of braiding her into a loose plait rather than her usual tight French braid. His eyes wondered up and down her body, checking her over.

"Arthur!" She hissed, catching his attention. "Never seen a woman before?" She asked.

"Plenty, thank you." He shot back. "You hardly brought anything, and yet you pack that dress and old boots?" He questioned, not even embarrassed that he had been caught looking at her.

"I thought they might come in handy." She smirked. "And I was right." She finished the plait, before taking a couple of pins from her pack, placing them into her hair and removing one of her daggers and sliding it into her boot. Collecting her things, she hid them in the shrubbery, making sure they were out of sight in case someone came across them, which was unlikely.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked. She handed him her two blades, still sheathed. He accepted them, before turning her attention back to her. "There are other ways of doing this."

"Trust me, this is the simplest way, and we'll have two angles of attack. Wait until I give you the signal then move in. Let me get the girls to safety and out of harms way first. Then we can find out why they took them and whatever else you want to know." She told him, turning to go back into the direction of the small opening where the river was.

"Good luck!" He called after her, keeping a good distance between then, keeping his head down and taking cover in the over growth.

x-x-x-x-x

Merlyn heard twigs snapping underfoot, and smiled to herself. She bent down at the rivers edge and cupped a handful of water, before taking a drink.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" She stood quickly and spun around, looking startled. "Seems you are a bit lost to be out here all alone, little lady." The younger of the two men she had seen before was stood beside another man, axe attached to his hip as his eyes wandered her slight form.

She gulped, before speaking. "I'm.. not alone." She stammered.

"Oh really?" The other stepped forward, walking around to her side. "Who is with you?" He asked. His eyes ran up and down her body, almost resorting to licking his lips, as he liked what he saw.

"My.. My husband. He's just gone hunting." She quickly spoke. "He will be back any moment."

"I'm sure he will." The first laughed. "Well, how about you come with us until your husband comes back. What's his name again?" He asked.

"Arr… Arthur." She quickly searched around, as if looking for an escape.

"Well, dear old Arthur wouldn't be happy to find you all alone out here. There could be unsavoury characters about in the woods." The other man grabbed her arm, tugging her with him. "We will keep you safe for him." She tried to pull her arm away, but he just gripped her tighter.

As she was dragged away, she turned back to the clearing, and saw Arthur in the bushes, getting ready to follow them. She smirked and winked at him, which earned her an eye roll and the shake of the head from the Prince. She was good.

x-x-x-x-x

"Where have you two been?!" They came to a camp, not too far away from the river, and she quickly counted three other men, making there a total of five. Her attention turned to the man who just spoke. An older, balding and heavier looking man stood from his position around the fire. "Who is she?" He asked. He wore furs from animals that they had hunted and looked very much the part of a bandit.

"We found her alone in the forest, Jarl." Merlyn began to quiver, and began to struggle against their holds. "Figured she would be worth something." They pushed her forward, only just managing to stop herself from falling forward.

"What's your name girl?" Jarl asked, stepping forward.

"Please just let me go." She whimpered.

Taking another look at her, checking her out up and down, his gaze disgusting her. All she wanted to do was get her dagger out of her boot and slit his throat. "Put her with the others." He ordered. The two men who had brought her here grabbed her arms again as she began to struggle once more.

"No, please!" She begged, but was dragged away to the edge of the camp. She spotted her destination, a large cage that was on top of a wagon. Three young girls were shaking in the corner of the wagon, scared. One of the men unlocked the door, while the other shoved her inside. "Let me go!" She shouted, before the man who pushed her in slapped her, shutting her up.

"Shut it girly, or things can get much worse." He sneered at her. The door slammed shut, locking them in the cage. The two men left, going back to the fire, which was hidden behind a tent that had been set up, shielding the cage from view.

Making sure that no one was watching, she shuffled her way over to the other three girls.

"Are you all alright?" She asked. She kept looking up to make sure than none of the men decided to make an unexpected visit.

One of them, brunette nodded. "We are fine." She told her. "Where did they find you?" She asked.

"They didn't. I've come to get you out of here." She whispered, before looking at the padlock that held the door together.

"How?" The brunette asked. "You are locked in here like the rest of us."

"Who says I'm alone. Sarah, Mary and Heather, correct?" The girls nodded, before Merlyn continued. "Okay, I need you to do exactly what I say, and I will get you back home. How many men are there?" She asked, trying to determine whether she had missed anyone.

"Five." A quiet voice plucked up. "There are five of them." The blonde in the cage told her.

"Okay. I promise, I will get you out of here." She promised them all. "I need you to do exactly what I say when I say."

x-x-x-x-x

A short while had passed, and one of the men had come to check on them once in that time. Merlyn stayed on guard, listening to their movements. She could hear the crackling of the fire that they had started through their laughter. Night had fallen, giving them perfect cover.

Merlyn sat by the cage door, checking to see if anyone was coming, listening for footsteps. Seeing and hearing that it was clear, she pulled the pins from her hair, beginning to pick the lock. Finding the lever, she pushed down until she heard the lock click. Quickly removing her pins, she replaced them into her hair and waited, to make sure no one else heard it. From the laughter coming from the fire, they were oblivious to what was going on.

As quietly as she could, she opened the cage door, wincing as it made a small squeak. Hurrying the girls out, she told them to hide in the trees until she came for them. The three quietly hurried off, leaving Merlyn alone.

Taking the dagger out of her boot, she crept towards the tent. Hearing footsteps coming towards her, she hid around the edge of the tent. She whistled, catching the man's attention, who cautiously went to check out the noise he heard. Before he even got chance to know what was happening, Merlyn slit his throat, and he collapsed to the floor, dead.

As she hid around the edge of the tent, she spotted Arthur close to her in the foliage. He handed her the two swords. He gave her a hand signal, telling her to come in from the other side. She nodded, before quickly shifting positions.

"Gentlemen." Arthur walked into view, as the four remaining men jumped up from their seats around the fire and turned, unsheathing their swords.

"Who are you?" Jarl asked, looking him up and down.

"Looks like one of them Knights from Camelot." Another answered.

"Oh no." The man who had slapped Merlyn seemed to twig onto something that the others hadn't. Arthur saw recognition in his eyes as he figured out who he was, and then the connection of the name to the girl he took.

"What is it?" Jarl asked, eyes flicking between the Prince and his own man.

Arthur made eye contact with Merlyn who was now stood in view, unnoticed by the men from behind.

"Hi hunny." She smiled, sweetly at Arthur, making the men to quickly turn to look at her. The one who had figured out they had been played gulped upon seeing the two swords in Merlyn's hands and the smirk on her face.

"Hi darling." Arthur smiled, playing along.

"You idiots!" Jarl shouted at his men. "Where's James?"

"Oh, he's dead." Merlyn smirked. "Sorry."

Jarl let out a howl, his men attacking the two of them. Jarl went after Arthur while the other three went for Merlyn. She sighed, before blocking two swords coming towards her, kicking out, and knocking one of them off his feet. She slashed at the other, catching his dismal attempt at armour, cutting him deep. He fell to the ground as the third man came at her.

"You lot really need to learn how to treat a girl."

Arthur exchanged blows with Jarl, who was fighting from rage. Arthur defended all the attacks he sent his way, knowing that soon, he would be tired from all of his over arm attacks.

"Why did you kidnap the girls?" Arthur grunted, wanting answers.

"You'll never know!" Jarl shouted. Arthur was beginning to get fed up with this clown, and instead of blocking his attack he ducked. With Jarl now off balance, Arthur managed to get in an attack, before knocking him off his feet, dropping his sword.

"He's the leader." Merlyn pointed out Jarl, who was struggling for breath on the floor. She had finished off her remaining two men and walked over to Arthur as he finished Jarl. Arthur looked back and saw the bodies of the three other men before turning back to Jarl.

"What do you want with these girls? Why did you attack that village?" He asked.

Instead of answering him, he warned him. "You have not stopped this, it is only the beginning. Soon, he will rise." Jarl choked.

"Who? Who will rise?" Arthur asked. "Why did he want the girls?"

"He will find the one.." With one last cough, Jarl bled out.

Arthur sighed, looking up to Merlyn. "Who is the one?" He asked.

"I don't know." She queried. "Maybe there is something around here that will tell us?"

"You get the girls, I'll find what I can." He agreed. Merlyn made her way towards the treeline where she had told the girls to go.

"It's safe now." She shouted, and movement came as the girls made them known. "Are you all okay?" She asked. They all nodded, thanking her for saving them. "Do any of see any kind of documents or know why these men took you?" They all shook their heads. She gave them a canteen of water, not knowing when the last time they were fed or even allowed to drink before heading over to where Arthur was looking for evidence.

The two began to look through papers that Jarl had in the tent, but found nothing of significance. "He's a slave trader." Arthur noted. "Explains why he kidnapped the girls, but it doesn't explain who the one they are looking for is."

"Does he have any letters from his employer? From what it sounded like this isn't just Jarl and his men who is looking whoever this person is." She suggested. Arthur scanned several letters, but none of them said anything along those lines.

"Perhaps he burnt them, stopping someone else from reading them." He suggested. "I don't think we will find anything here. Let's just take the documents and get the girls back home. We can send for Knights to sort out the bodies and clear up this mess." He motioned around the camp.

x-x-x-x-x

"Thank you, Prince Arthur, Merlyn. " Alrick thanked them as the three girls were reunited with their families. Mothers were crying and hugging them, happy to be reunited, as many others who would have been in the same situation wouldn't have been.

"You are welcome, Alrick. We are just glad that they are safe and that we could help." Arthur responded for them.

"As a thank you, will you stay for the wedding? Heather and Luke want it to continue, and we would be honoured if you would stay and witness." He asked.

Arthur shared a look with Merlyn before agreeing. "It would be our honour." He smiled.

Merlyn had walked away from everyone, and over to where her horse was being looked after before she spotted someone heading in her direction. The youngest of the three girls walked over to Merlyn. "What is your name?" She asked.

"Merlyn." She responded. "My name is Merlyn."

The girl smiled, before putting her arms around Merlyn. "Thank you Merlyn." Arthur watched with a smirked, as Merlyn looked slightly uncomfortable in the hug, but did not stop the girl.

Leon came to stand beside Arthur, watching the scene too. "So, your assessment, Sire?" He asked.

"She's good. Irritating and annoying beyond belief, but she is good If I didn't know any better, even I would have been fooled." He told his friend. The girl walked away from Merlyn. Arthur patted Leon on the shoulder. "Come, my friend, we have a wedding to attend." Leon smiled, following the Prince into the centre of the town as Merlyn stayed on the sidelines, watching.

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**Please review x**


	5. Chapter 4: Angel of Mercy

A/N - Thank you for the reviews.. If I haven't replied, I will be doing soon :)

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**Chapter 4 – Angel of Mercy**

Gwen hummed to herself as she walked down the corridors of the castle to the washroom as part of her daily chores for the Princess Morgana. Rounding the corner, she spotted the newest member of the Royal household, Merlyn. She had not had time to speak to the new girl, but from what she had heard from the other servants around the place, she wasn't the friendliest of people.

"Hello." She smiled, getting her attention. "You are Merlyn, right?" She asked.

"Erm.. Yes." Merlyn answered, looking up and down the corridors, seemingly looking for an escape.

"Hi, I'm Gwen. I'm the Princess Morgana's maidservant." She smiled, shifting the basket of clothes on her hip, before holding out her hand in greeting.

Merlyn looked at the offered hand, before gently taking it. She was in her usual leather armour, but was without her assortment of weapons for once. "Nice to meet you." She spoke.

"The pleasure is mine." Gwen replied. "How are you settling into Camelot? I've heard you have travelled quite a lot, before your arrival."

"It's been fine." She quickly replied. "Sorry, if you'll excuse me." Merlyn quickly excused herself, before heading off down the corridor.

Gwen watched as she left, sighing. There was something different about that girl. Shrugging, she continued on with her daily chores.

x-x-x-x-x

"I bumped into that new girl today. Merlyn." Gwen spoke as she folded the newly cleaned washing.

Morgana turned to look at her from her wardrobe. "Really? What is she like?" She asked, before continuing her search for the perfect dress to wear that evening for the feast that was being held.

The relationship between Morgana and Gwen was less than master and servant, more of two good friends. Morgana refused to make Gwen call her anything other than her name, which Gwen agreed to unless in the presence of the King or other nobles.

"I don't know." Gwen sighed. "She's different. I mean I think she keeps to herself a lot and seems uncomfortable around people, which many people misunderstand for being rude."

"So she's a loner? Well, I guess it might take some adjustment after living alone for a long time, moving from place to place." Morgana reasoned. "Maybe she just needs a friend." She shrugged.

"She's been here a couple of weeks, and I've seen her maybe a handful of times, most of them being on the training grounds with your brother. What does he think of her?" Gwen enquired.

Morgana pulled out a floor length, royal blue dress, hanging it on the edge of the door. "He just says she is a skilled fighter, and brave. He told us of how they saved three girls from one of the outlying villages the other week, and I don't even know many men that would put themselves in harms way let alone a woman. She is definitely different." Morgana agreed.

"Well, she needs to socialise more if she stands any chance of staying in Camelot. I never even knew that Gaius had any other family." Gwen carried on her folding. Morgana stopped what she was doing, before turning around to look at Gwen. Gwen looked up, and saw the coy smile on her face. "I know that look. You are planning something."

"She is attending this evenings feast is she not?" She asked.

"All of the Knights are and so is Gaius so I am guessing that she will be there too." Gwen concluded. "Why what do you have in mind?" Morgana just continued to smile at her.

x-x-x-x-x

The Great Hall was filled with many of the Knights, Ladies and members of the court as the King and some of his Lords spoke about a variety of things. It was more like a banquet than a feast, but at least this way Merlyn was free to stay to herself.

Arthur looked over the crowds, and his eyes darted towards Merlyn. She was stood at the edge of the room, looking out of the window, wearing her normal armour, hair tightly braided and at least three daggers on her person. He wanted to roll his eyes at her, she was more paranoid than he was, and even he didn't wear his chainmail to events such as these. That and he only had one dagger.

"Enjoying the view?" Morgana crept up behind him, smirk on her face.

"I don't know what you are talking about." He retorted, looking somewhere other than Merlyn.

"Of course you don't." She sniggered. "You know, I haven't been introduced to the newest member of our Knights."

"She isn't a Knight."

"Women can be Knights." Morgana retorted. "It is sexist to say that we can not fight as well as men."

"She can not be a Knight because she isn't of noble blood." He rolled his eyes at his sister. The amount of times he had heard about it being wrong to class her ability to fight because she was a girl. "You know the rules Morgana, that and the fact that she is indeed a girl stops her from becoming a Knight. She is one of the best fighters I've seen, trust me if it were up to me, she would be a Knight even if she is a stuck up, irritating.." He admitted. He saw Morgana smirk. "What?"

"Bit like you then." She grinned.

He scoffed. "Don't be stupid."

"Introduce me to her." Morgana almost ordered.

"You want an introduction, go and do it yourself." Arthur challenged her.

"Fine. I will." Morgana smirked and glided past him towards Merlyn. Arthur shook his head, turning and making his way towards some of his Knights, determined to ignore her for the rest of the evening.

Merlyn's attention broke from the window as she felt someone coming towards her. The Princess was heading towards her, while she saw the Prince walking over to some of the Knights across the other side of the room.

"Hi, I am Morgana. I don't believe that we have been properly introduced." Morgana smiled sweetly at her.

"Merlyn, your highness." Merlyn bowed slightly to her.

"Pish posh, just call me Morgana. I dislike the formalities." Morgana insisted. Uther tapped a glass, getting everyone's attention. "Perhaps we can speak later?" Merlyn nodded before Morgana left, heading over to where her father was stood beginning the feast.

x-x-x-x-x

The night continued on, and Merlyn was just waiting long enough before she could disappear. Couples were dancing in the centre of the room as everyone laughed and enjoyed themselves.

Morgana and Arthur were stood laughing with each other. As much as they annoyed and teased each other, they got along as well as any pair of siblings could. Arthur was the overprotective older brother, whereas Morgana was the rebelling little sister.

Morgana noticed that Arthur kept glancing over to where she knew Merlyn was stood and she just smiled at him and shaking her head.

"What?" He asked.

"If you like her, go and ask her to dance." She laughed.

He scoffed, almost choking on his drink. "I do not like her! In fact it is the opposite! And even if I did, I'd have my throat slit for even thinking of asking her to dance." Just as he said it, he saw one of his Knights Sir Cador step up to her. "Oh no."

Merlyn looked up to see Sir Cador stood in front of her. "Can I help you?" She asked. She crossed her arms, able to smell the alcohol on his breath before he even opened his mouth. Her mind turned, her thoughts almost begging him to do what she knew he was about to. She had seen the way some of the Knights had looked at her when they were training and she was more than ready to lay her mark down.

"Dance with me." He muttered, reaching out to grab her hand.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She warned him, swatting his hand away.

"Ooo, hard to get. I like it." He grinned, stepping closer to her. His hands ventured behind her, and lower. Before he could even reach his desired destination, he found himself spun around, and his arm twisted behind his back. He howled in pain, silence spreading through the hall as all eyes turned to them.

"Merlyn, let him go." Arthur's voice broke the silence, almost as soon as it happened. She looked up to see Arthur, and Morgana by his side. Not long ago they were across the room. With a shove, she did as she was told and Sir Cador fell to the floor. "Go and sober up, Cador." He told his Knight with fire in his eyes. Cador quickly scampered to his feet and left the hall. Mutters began to fill the hall once more, the King himself, interested in what had transpired.

"I was defending myself." She stated.

"I know, I saw." Arthur told her. "It won't happen again, I will make sure of it." He promised her.

"I don't need your protection Arthur." She hissed. "It won't happen again because every one of those Knights.." She pointed over to where they were all watching the conversation. When she pointed in their direction, they all quickly looked away. ".. know what I will do to them. I am no ones to defend, I do that myself." She snapped, before hightailing it out of the hall.

"Arthur." The King called him. Arthur sighed, sharing a look with Morgana before going to indulge the King.

x-x-x-x-x

"Merlyn!" Morgana shouted as she quickly stepped down the corridors of the castle after her. Merlyn stopped in her march, and turned to face the Princess. "Are you alright?" She asked, concerned.

"I am fine, your highness." Merlyn sighed. "Nothing that hasn't happened before."

"What did I tell you about the titles." Morgana playfully reminded her, not getting the reaction out of her that she desired. "I admire you for standing up for yourself. It was what I wanted to talk to you about actually."

"How may I be of service?" Merlyn asked. No one was in the hallway; it was just the two of them.

"Well, as you may know, being a Princess has its own risks, and I refuse to be babied by my father and my brother. I would like you to teach me how to fight. Arthur has given me basic training, but he is too worried that I would get hurt if I were to train. I am hoping that being a woman yourself, you can understand my desire to be able to fight for myself and defend myself." Morgana explained. "Will you help me?" She asked.

"I will teach you." Merlyn agreed. "Meet me on the training grounds at lunch tomorrow."

"I shall see you there. Thank you, Merlyn." She smiled at her. Merlyn nodded before Morgana turned and headed back to the party. Merlyn stood there for a moment before turning and slipping away into the darkness.

x-x-x-x-x

Arthur walked down the hall, towards the armoury. They had completed their training session for the day, and he watched as Merlyn fought harder, her attacks more vicious than normal. Sir Cador had avoided her at all costs that morning, and he saw the smirk on Merlyn's face as he did so. The only people she would spar with her now were himself and Leon. The others had all previously tried, and failed at the task.

Coming to a stop, he saw Morgana walking towards him, wearing her custom made armour. "Morning Arthur." She smiled as she passed him.

Taking a second, he turned around towards her. "Where are you going?" He asked, confused. She only ever wore her armour when they were sparing together, which happened less and less as the years went by, but they would still do occasionally for his benefit, knowing she could defend herself.

She stopped and turned to him. "I have a sparing session." She announced.

"With?" He queried. None of his Knights would dare fight the Princess. It was one thing for him, being a protective older brother, but for them it would seen as unfit.

"As a matter of fact, Merlyn." She smiled. "She has agreed to teach me to fight."

"You know how to fight." He crossed his arms. "What's going on?"

Morgana sighed. "I am trying to connect with Merlyn." She told him.

"Connect with her?" He asked. "Why?"

"She has no friends Arthur! She is quiet, stays to herself, likes to be alone. I would guess the only people she speaks to without feeling pressured is to you and to perhaps Gaius. She is different Arthur, and I want to make sure that she feels welcome here. It's not like anyone has really given her a chance." She explained.

"I have." He told her.

"Yes, but it's different with you. You are like her boss, you equal her in fighting and it's the one thing she can do which she excels at with ease. Something has happened to her, before she came here which has made her like this. She is closed off and she protects herself. Someone needs to break through the barrier." Morgana explained. "Perhaps having a couple of friends will help her to open up."

"Okay, but you know she won't go easy on you." Arthur warned her.

"That is why I told her that I have had only basic training from you, dear brother." She smiled sweetly at him.

"Just be careful."

"Always." She smiled before heading off in the direction of the practice fields.

Arthur stood for a moment wondering whether or not to keep an eye on them, before deciding that they would be fine, and heading up to his rooms to change out of his sweaty clothes.

x-x-x-x-x

"So most of fighting is about footwork." Merlyn explained. "If you are caught off balance, then it will be easy for someone to overpower you."

"That makes sense!" Morgana exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically.

"Get into the stance that I showed you before." Morgana did as she was told. "Okay, so if I attack like this.." She slowly moved her sword to Morgana's left, making her move her feet to help her counter. "Good. Now this.." She did the move again, with Morgana doing it perfectly first time.

Merlyn took a step back and lowered her sword. "Okay, what's going on?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" Morgana asked, confused.

"We both know you lied to me about not being able to fight. Even with basic training you wouldn't know the exact positioning of your feet." She stated. "You can fight."

Morgana sighed. "Alright, yes. Arthur has taught me, quite well I will admit."

"So what do you want from me?" Merlyn asked, wanting to know her true intentions.

"A sparring partner." Morgana told her. "Arthur rarely has time to spar with me very often, and none of the Knights dare to hurt the Princess. I need someone who will fight and who isn't afraid to hurt me. I know you are vastly better than I could ever hope of being, but perhaps with practise, I can get better."

"So you want someone to train with." Merlyn confirmed.

"Yes. So will you?" She asked hopeful.

Merlyn thought for a moment. "Sure. But no more lying."

Morgana grinned. "I promise." She raised her swords. "Now lets see what you've really got."

Merlyn nodded before the two started off slowly, Merlyn assessing how good Morgana really was. She wasn't on the same level as herself, Arthur or even Leon, but she could hold up in a fight.

As the session went on, Merlyn would give her some useful hints, about her footwork or positioning of her blade. By the end, the two girls were sweating, and exhausted.

"I think that was the best work out I have ever had." Morgana laughed as they lay on the ground, staring up at the clear sky. "Will you continue to train with me?" She turned her head to ask the other woman.

"Sure. It was fun." Merlyn smiled, probably one of her first genuine ones that she had smiled since arriving in Camelot. Morgana laughed, grinning before looking back up to the sky.

"Will you also teach my maid, Gwen? She actually is a beginner. Her father is the local blacksmith, so she knows how to handle a sword, but that is about it. When we travel, she comes along and I would feel better if she could fight back if we were attacked."

"Sure." Merlyn agreed.

x-x-x-x-x

Arthur glanced over to the edge of the training grounds when he heard the sound of his sister's laugh. He was surprised to see the two women lying on the grass and that a smile actually graced Merlyn's face. Maybe Morgana's plan was better than he gave her credit for. If it helped to get Merlyn to open up, then who was he to stop it. He carried on walking by, time for him to check on the guards.

x-x-x-x-x

**Please review! x**


	6. Chapter 5: Blood Bound

_A/N - Thanks for the reviews :) Enjoy x_

x-x-x-x-x

**Chapter 5 – Blood Bound**

Council meetings in Camelot were boring and tedious, at least in Arthur and Merlyn's opinion. She had been stood by the side of the room leaning against the wall while the King, Arthur, Morgana, Gaius and the other council members argued about taxes, villages and other pointless things. She really didn't know why she was needed in this instance.

Since she had been here, there were a couple of times where her knowledge of the lands had come in useful, like when she and Arthur along with the Knights had to travel to a village in the east after there was news of another group of bandits, similar to the ones that had kidnapped the girls a month ago.

"The people in the outer villagers are worried for their children with the increased amounts of bandits who seem to be searching for someone. The attacks and kidnappings have increased almost tenfold recently, but has gone quiet recently. At first we thought it was a girl, but there have been reports of young men going missing as well." Leon informed the council.

"Do we know who this person is that they are searching for? A name? Something?" Uther asked.

"I'm afraid not, my lord. It seems since we stopped the last attack and rescued the girls, they seemed to have been more cautious, perhaps regrouping." He voiced.

"We need to send patrols more often to the villages further away, to hopefully deterred these bandits, and at the very least, make the villagers feel safer." Arthur suggested.

"It is a waste of our resources." Uther countered.

"I will admit, it will be more work for myself and the other Knights, but they are our people and are under threat. All I ask is to visit around perhaps every two weeks. Let our presence be known for a while and then we can give ourselves more time to catch whoever is behind all of this." The King seems to think about it before he nodded, agreeing to Arthur's plan.

The doors of the great hall opened, and everyone's attention moved towards the new person.

"Ah, Lord Agravaine, I was wondering whether to send a search party after you. How was your quest?" Uther asked the man as he made his way towards the table, with two knights behind him.

"I regret to inform you of the loss of two of our Knights, however the mission was a success and we managed to stop the two sorcerers before they made it to Cenred. We were on our way back when I heard information of a group of Druids in the North, and decided to follow it up, hence my delayed return. They managed to evade us, but I am sure that their whereabouts will become known once more." The King's right hand explained. He had been away since before the festival, and should have been back weeks ago.

Agravaine noticed another person in the room, and turned to look at her. "I see we have a new member." He smiled at her cautiously.

"This is Merlyn." Arthur introduced her. "She saved my life a while back and has been made my personal advisor." He turned to look at her, giving her a quizzing look but her eyes were focused solely on Agravaine as she seemed to assess him. That icy blue glare would even make him recoil.

"Well it is a pleasure to meet you." He smiled at her. "I do regret, however I am awfully tired from the long journey, if you will excuse me."

"Rest Agravaine, you have earned it." Uther dismissed him. Glancing once more at Merlyn, he turned and left the room.

"Now, where were we… Ah yes, taxes." The meeting droaned on, as soon as the King dismissed them, Arthur turned to see Merlyn, but she was gone.

Arthur and Morgana shared a look of concern when they saw her lack of presence. Since Merlyn had been sparing with Morgana, she had become slightly more open, talking a little more freely and even smiling once in a while.

"Where did she go?" Morgana asked. Arthur shrugged.

Arthur searched for her, in the grounds of the castle, but she was nowhere to be found. He checked the stables, and sighed when he saw that Taika was not there. He sighed, decided that there was nothing he could do until she came back, hoping that she actually did return.

x-x-x-x-x

Merlyn returned to the castle, just as night fell, putting Taika back into the stables. As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, Arthur was on her.

"Where have you been?!" He almost shouted, worried about her disappearance.

"Out." She stated, moving passed him. He grabbed her arm as she tried to side step him. She stopped, before turning to face him. "Get your hand off me."

"Not until you tell me what is going on." He replied.

"Get off." She growled. He waited a moment before removing his arm.

"What happened after that meeting?" He asked again.

"Nothing." She responded.

"Nothing doesn't make run off for the whole day." He replied.

"Let it go, Arthur." She snapped at him, before turning and heading off.

x-x-x-x-x

The castle was bursting with servant running around, preparing rooms and cleaning. The Kings of the five lands were due to arrive in Camelot that day for a celebration of the signing of the peace treaty between the Kingdoms.

Arthur was searching around for Merlyn, but as she had been for the past couple of days, he could not find her. He knew she was still in the castle somewhere, but she could never be found.

"Arthur!" Morgana shouted him. He stopped and waited for his sister. "Have you seen Merlyn? She was meant to train with me today but she never showed."

"I'm afraid not. Something's up with her and I don't know what." He sighed. "Look, just give her some space for now. We will figure it out after this celebration is over." Morgana agreed before heading out.

Arthur continued on sorting out things for his father when he spotted Gaius in the lower town. "Afternoon Gaius." He greeted the older man.

"Ahh, Arthur. How are you doing this fine day?" He asked.

"I am fine. You haven't by chance seen Merlyn have you?" He asked.

"As a matter of fact, I have not. She hasn't been home much in the past few days. I thought she was doing something for you." Gaius informed him.

"No, she keeps disappearing on me." Arthur concluded.

"I'm sure if there was anything wrong she would tell us." Gaius surmised, hoping that what he said was true. "Anyway, I have to get back to work. Mayvis has a terrible cough and her husband asked me to have a look at it."

"See you at the feast later then." Arthur smiled, letting the man get back to his job.

x-x-x-x-x

He had seen Merlyn when the feast began, but as time went by, she disappeared again. Sighing, he decided to not think of it, at least not tonight. Tonight he had another responsibility, dancing. Not just dancing, but dancing with the Princesses and Ladies of the realms. The Kings sat at the head table, laughing and holding conversations between them while music played.

Arthur bowed, in front of one of the Princesses, before they began their dance. He smiled and exchanged pleasant conversations before he moved onto the next. Morgana was having too much fun with this, seeing as she was the Princess and all the Princes were currently back in their own lands, keeping an eye on things.

"Prince Arthur." A girl, a few years younger than himself stood in front of him, smiling. "Long time no see."

"Princess Mithian." He greeted her, kissing the back of her hand. "How is Nemeth these days? It has been a long time since I travelled to your wondrous lands." The two began dancing.

"Much the same. My father is insistent on finding me a husband. I wouldn't be surprised if he was talking to your father about it now." She laughed, seeing her father looking over at them. Arthur laughed, and saw his father looking at them as well.

"You are much too dear a friend for me to punish you with marriage to myself." He joked.

"Who'd want to marry you?" She replied, smiling. "In all honesty, it's good to see you Arthur."

"You too. I know Morgana is watching me with envy." Mithian looked and grinned at Morgana.

"I shall enjoy your sister's company as soon as the song is over. Can't been seen to favour one of the Pendragons over the other. Could start a civil war!" Arthur just grinned and laughed knowing Morgana's temper.

They chatted until the song was over, before Mithian went to hug Morgana and the next lady was waiting to dance with Arthur.

x-x-x-x-x

Gwen was smiling as she watched the dancing. She loved festivals such as these. The nobles in an array of colours, dancing and smiling. There were times that she wished she could participate, but being able to witness them was good enough for her. She smiled as she watched Arthur dancing with a daughter of one of the Lords and sighed a little.

She felt someone stand beside her, and turned to find Merlyn there. "I was wondering where you went off to." She smiled, greeting her new friend.

"I had something I had to do." The warrior replied.

Her eyes were focused on someone across the room, but Gwen couldn't tell who but decided to let it go. "Would you like a drink?" She asked, holding up the goblet of wine.

"Not now." She declined before Morgana and a woman she hadn't met before made their way towards them.

"Gwen, you remember Princess Mithian don't you?" Morgana asked.

"Of course. It has been a long time, my lady." Gwen curtsied.

"It's good to see you too Gwen. I hope you are keeping our Morgana here out of trouble." Mithian joked.

"I do try." Gwen grinned as Morgana rolled her eyes.

"Mithian, this is who I was telling you about. Merlyn, this is Princess Mithian, of Nemeth." Merlyn's attention shifted to Morgana and she smiled at the other girl, bowing slightly.

"It is a pleasure." Mithian smiled to her. "Morgana has told me a lot about you. Do you really equal Arthur fighting?" She asked.

"Oh yes, it is amazing to see the two of them sparring. The Knights have started putting wagers on who will win during their bouts. It is fascinating to watch." Morgana responded. "I never thought I'd see the day that Arthur was put in his place."

"Impressive." Mithian responded. Merlyn gave her a forced smile before her attention moved back across the room, distracted.

x-x-x-x-x

Arthur excused himself from the dancing, needing to get a drink. If he was going to keep this up, he would definitely need some alcohol. He picked up his goblet, before signalling to one of the servants to fill it up with wine.

As soon as the servant left, he was surrounded by some of the Lords in attendance. They asked him about the development of some of the Knights, some of the new changes to laws and other political things. He smiled and politely tried his best to answer.

A few minutes had passed, and Arthur felt his throat feel funny, almost as if it was starting to burn. He coughed slightly, trying to clear his throat, before coughing again. His vision went dizzy and soon entered a world of black.

x-x-x-x-x

A goblet hit the ground, and a thud followed. Merlyn's eyes darted to the sound and before she could even think, she was by his side. Gasps and screams filled the air as everyone witnessed the scene in front of them.

"Arthur." She pressed her fingers to his pulse point as Gaius had taught her. "Arthur, can you hear me?" She asked. Gaius was next to her in a second, checking his temperature and the dilation of his eyes.

"He's got a high fever." He noted.

Merlyn spotted the goblet next to him, and sniffed inside. "Poison." She stated.

"Are you sure?" He asked. She nodded, before turning to Leon.

"No one leaves this hall." She ordered him. He nodded, sending orders out to the Knights and the guards. They spread out and covered every exit, keeping everyone in the room.

"Gaius, what is going on?" Uther asked, coming beside them.

"It appears that he has been poisoned, my Lord." He replied to the King before pointed to two Knights who had surrounded their fallen Prince. "I need you to take Arthur up to my quarters. Merlyn, get the goblet."

x-x-x-x-x

Merlyn hurriedly searched through books, trying to find what the poison was, based off Arthur's symptoms. "There is nothing in any of these that would explain it. According to these he should already be dead." She threw the last book down. The thing that was confusing them was the speed of how quick the poison took effect in knocking him out and the effects that it was having on him without already killing him. Someone wanted him to suffer.

"Perhaps it is not a normal poison." With the suggestion, she ran up to her chambers and took out the old magic book that she had been given a long time ago.

"Here is it." She pointed to a page, as Gaius read it. "Is there a cure?" She asked.

"I believe there is." He walked over to the piled of books Merlyn had thrown down before. "But I don't think it will be an easy task."

"What do I have to do?" She asked. She heard footsteps outside the door and quickly hid the magic book in a stack of other medical books.

The door of the room opened. Morgana and Gwen came storming in. "How is he?" She asked, taking a seat in the chair next to her brother.

"Not good, I am afraid." Gaius told her.

"Is there anything you can do?" She asked.

"There is a cure, but it requires great danger." He told the two of them. Merlyn nodded, informing him that she was going no matter what. "You need the retrieve the blood of a Questing Beast. The risks are huge. A single bite from the creature will kill you." He warned her.

"Where can I find one?" She asked, picking up her short swords.

"There was a sighting of one near the caves in the Darkling Woods." Before he had even finished speaking, she was collecting the rest of her weapons from her room and attaching them.

"I'm coming too." Gwen piped up. "Morgana can't, her father won't allow it."

"Gwen, no." Merlyn disagreed.

"You are going. And Gaius will need some Myrth Petals. I promise I will stay out of the way and you can face the beast alone. Please, let me do this. I can't just sit around here doing nothing."

Merlyn took a look at Arthur, laid on the cot, struggling for breath. "Alright, but stay out of the way when we find the beast. Gauis, how long do we have?"

"A couple hours."

x-x-x-x-x

Merlyn left Gwen out in the fields, collecting petals when they arrived in the Darkling woods.

Her eyes glowed gold, as she searched the ground for signs of the beast. She took quiet steps forward; bow in hand with an arrow loaded, listening out for any movement. Her aim with a bow was second to none, but she knew the chances that an arrow could pierce the beast's skin were slim. She had hoped to get a shot, retrieve the arrow and run, taking the blood from the arrowhead. That was plan A at least.

It didn't take long until she heard a quiet growl. She paused on the spot, waiting for it to strike. She heard the roar and spun around, letting off an arrow, hitting it on it's hind leg before she quickly dropped the bow and used her swords to block the beast as it charged towards her, knocking her off her feet. She tried to push it off her, but it was too strong.

"Merlyn!" She heard Gwen scream in the distance, but the beast wasn't distracted. She must have heard the beast's roar. She just hoped that the maid wouldn't be stupid enough to come into the woods.

It's teeth were coming closer and closer to her, snapping as some drool ran out of it's mouth. She had no other choice. Her eyes glowed gold, and the beast flew off her, crashing back into the rocks. It shook off the attack, and got back to its feet, beginning to circle again.

Merlyn jumped to her feet. She watched the beast's eyes carefully as the two began to circle each other. The beast limped slightly with an arrow sticking out of its leg, but she knew it wouldn't do much to stop it's attack. It pounced on her again, but she was too quick, ducking and catching its under side with the tip of her blade.

It began to circle again. It slashed at her, it's claws barely missing her skin before Merlyn held out her hand, knocking it backwards with her magic. She took the chance and cut its throat. The beast screamed, as blood dripped from the ground before it fell silent. She quickly took the vial that Gaius gave her, and filled it with the blood.

When she turned around, Gwen was stood there, frozen in shock, eyes wide. "You have magic." The maid said, not wanting to believe her eyes. The maid took a step back, looking like she was about to run.

Merlyn had to do something. If anyone found out about her magic, she would be hunted, just like her father before her.

"Please, Gwen. No one must know." She took a small step towards the maid. "I promise you, there's more to this than what the King says." She pleaded. "We need to get this back to Arthur before its too late. I promise I will explain it to you, and then after that if you wish to inform the King, then I won't stop you." She insisted.

Gwen thought for a moment before nodding. The Prince was on his deathbed, if not already dead. They didn't have time for this now, so she handed over the petals to her.

She placed two petals into the blood vial, and whispered a spell. Gwen watched in awe as the blood turned purple, and the petals dissolved.

"Come on, let's go. He doesn't have much time." They hurried over to where they left their horses, before making a mad rush back to Camelot.

x-x-x-x-x

Merlyn walked down into the dungeons. She made her way over to the last cell, and stopped in front of the boy, who had served the wine to Arthur.

He smirked at her. "Tell me, is your prince dead?"

"No." Merlyn smirked. "But nice try." The smile fell from his face. "Who sent you?" She asked.

"Like you don't already know." He muttered.

"Helios?" She asked. When he didn't respond, she took that as a yes. "You know what he will do to you when he knows you've failed. He won't come and save you. You are on your own."

"You will never make me talk." He snarled at her.

"I don't need to. I know." She announced. "The only thing I want to know is who hired Helios to send men to kill Arthur? But I think that they wouldn't trust you with information like that. In fact, I would bet that Helios would know that you would get caught. He knew that you would get captured and most likely tortured. He would give you a small pill; one that he said would take away all the pain if you were to get caught. You see, that's what he does with his assassins that are disposable. He won't come and save you, you aren't worth enough to him." The boys face dropped. "Now, if I were you and you really didn't want to be tortured for days, weeks even, about information that you don't know, I would take that tablet. Either way, you'll end up dead. This is the end of the line." She smirked before turning and heading out.

The boy took out a small object from his pocket and stared at it.

x-x-x-x-x

Arthur was sitting up in his bed, bored out of his mind.

"I don't see why I can't go and train." He muttered for the hundredth time in the past hour.

"Because this time yesterday, Arthur, you were on death's door. If it wasn't for Merlyn, you would probably be dead by now." Morgana hushed him.

"Where is Merlyn, by the way?" He asked. He hadn't seen her since he had woken a few hours ago. Gaius had managed to give him the antidote in time, and he had spent the rest of the night sleeping. Morgana had told him that Merlyn had sat by his bed all night, but left when she came in to check up on him.

"She said she had something to do, but she would be back soon." Gwen mentioned. "You should have seen her fighting the Questing Beast. I've never seen anything like it."

"Speak of the devil." Morgana laughed as Merlyn appeared in the doorway.

"Hey." She gave them a smile, before her eyes fell on Arthur. "How you doing?" She asked him, taking a step closer.

"Much better, thanks to you." She just nodded. "I know what you are thinking, and this isn't your fault." He told her. "I know you've been distracted recently, but it's not your fault. No one noticed that the boy wasn't a normal servant."

"Yes, well it isn't happening again." She informed him.

"Agreed." Morgana told them, nodding in agreement. "You really have to stop pissing people off and them wanting to kill you Arthur." He just shook his head.

"Speaking of which, has the guy talked yet? About who sent him to kill me?" He asked her.

"I don't know. Leon was going to talk to him later. You know giving him a night in a cell to try and make him talk." She told him, while he nodded in acceptance.

Morgana started saying something, but Merlyn saw Gwen stood by the window looking at her. She went over to meet her. She had given Gwen a tame version of the reason of being born with magic. Gwen had said she needed time to think about it, and Merlyn had let her go, confidant that she had won over the young maid seeing as how her magic saved the Prince's life.

"I won't tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me." Gwen told the young sorceress.

"Thank you, Gwen."

A knock on the door drew everyone attention to Leon, who stepped into the room. "You wanted to know after we spoke to the prisoner." He looked at Merlyn as she walked back over to the side of the bed.

"What did he say?" Morgana asked.

"Nothing."

"What do you mean, nothing?" Arthur queried.

"He's dead, sire. It seemed he was prepared for being captured and had a capsule filled with poison." Leon informed them. "He killed himself sometime in the night."

"So we don't know who and why someone wanted him dead." Morgana sighed.

"I'm afraid not. I have to go. The King wants an update." He bowed a little before leaving the room.

"It will be fine. We won't let anyone hurt you, will we Merlyn?" Morgana grinned at Arthur's look of disgust of being protected by girls.

Merlyn didn't answer but nodded, before turning to look out the window. It seems things were more advanced than she thought.

x-x-x-x-x

**Please Review x**


	7. Chapter 6: Dark Wings, Dark Words

_A/N - Thanks for the reviews :).. We are now heading into the good bit ;).. Update a little earlier than usual, but I'm in a good mood, so what you gunna do :P.. Trying to get the bulk of this story finished before life becomes busy in a week or so.. I do love to hear what you think so tell me what you think :).. Enjoy xx_

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 6 – Dark Wings, Dark Words**

Merlyn and Arthur were outside on the training grounds sparring with each other. Morgana and Leon stood around the edge watching the two as the other Knights watched on in amusement. Those around kept on cheering on whoever they wanted to win, and it had started to become somewhat of a social contest with a few of the Knights.

"Are they always this competitive?" She asked him, watching as some of the knights agreed on bets before shouting for whoever to win.

"You'd be surprised. There have been times where she looked like she was about to kill him." Leon laughed, before hissing at one of the shots that Merlyn put in. "Where's Gwen? She's normally around."

"She went to get some herbs for Gaius. She won't be back until later." Morgana shrugged. She smiled as she watched Merlyn manage to knock Arthur off his feet. She even went to far as to cheer, which made Merlyn grin and Arthur huff before he got back on his feet. "Yeah! Go Merlyn!"

"Whose side are you on?!" Arthur shouted over to her, turning as he collected his sword from it's fallen position as some gold changed hands between his Knights. "Don't you have something better to do?" While Arthur was slightly distracted, Merlyn swung for him, an attack that Arthur just about managed to block. "Hey!"

"Always got to be focused Arthur." Merlyn smirked before attacking him once more as bets were taken once again.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Gwen hummed to herself as she made her way to a small field full of flowers that Gaius needed her to go and collect. She had gotten them before, and was happy to do it especially seeing as it got her out of the castle for a while. She enjoyed the time to herself and out in the fresh air.

The revelation that Merlyn had magic seemed to bring the two girls closer. She hated not being able to tell Morgana, but she understood Merlyn's desire for no one to know. She made a promise, and she intended to keep it unless the worse should happen. In Gwen's mind, the mystery that was Merlyn started to make a bit more sense now. Her stand offish nature was a defence and a shield, making sure no one got too close to discover her secret.

Gaius now knew that she knew, and he told her of Merlyn's history of magic. She was genuinely interested in it, wanting to learn about something that she had been made to believe was bad. He wasn't too happy with someone else knowing, but it did make things easier if even a situation came about when Merlyn's magic was needed.

"Excuse me Miss." A man walking towards her on the road brought her out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw a middle aged man heading towards her, sword strapped to his side. "Would you be able to tell me where Camelot is?" He asked. This wasn't an unusual request or even unusual to see a man dressed similar to him on this road.

She stopped walking and turned to point at the castle in the distance. "It's just over the hill." When she turned back, two more men had appeared beside him. She looked wary before taking a step back, but backed up into another man and she gasped. "What do you want?" she stuttered. She had been told of bandit attacks that had been happening in the villages, but there hadn't been one this close to the castle. The Knights had been patrolling to the villages, but no one had reported any signs of attacks near the city.

"How old do you reckon she is, Beroun?" One of them asked, walking around her, checking her out.

"Probably about twenty. Fits right in." The four of them all began to circle her as she became increasingly more scared. Her eyes darted around, trying to look for some sort of exit.

"Please, let me go." She pleaded.

"Let the lady go." Another voice appeared. A man, short dark hair that was starting to curl at the tips had a sword out. The four men turned to him and looked him up and down.

"What you going to do with that boy?" Beroun asked, looking at his sword.

"Come at me and you will find out." He threatened. Beroun signalled for one of his men to attack him.

Within a couple of swings, the bandit fell. The look on her rescuers face stayed stone cold, almost reminding her of the look that Merlyn and Arthur have when they spar against each other.

"Well, well. Seems as though we have someone who fancied themselves a hero on our hands boys." The other two men started to advance on him, about to try to over power him. The man blocked their attacks, stabbing one of the men in the side, slashing the other across the belly before Beroun didn't fancy his chances anymore and took off into the forest. The remaining bandit hit the ground as Gwen let out a breath of relief looking at her saviour.

"Are you alright, my Lady?" The man asked her, putting his sword away before stepping towards her.

"I am fine thanks to you. It's Gwen." She smiled at him, before glancing down at the men who were now dead on the ground. "Thank you, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here."

"It is a pleasure, Gwen. I am Lancelot." He smiled before wincing. Gwen looked over him quickly and saw some blood on his shirt.

"You've been hit!" She exclaimed, surprised she didn't see it before. She closed the distance between them and trying to pull his shirt up to check the wound.

"It's nothing, my lady." He tried to tell her, putting his hand on the wound, shielding it from her view.

"Let me look." She demanded, lifting the bottom of his shirt up. "You have to get this seen too. Here, let me help you to Camelot. Gaius can fix you up." She grabbed his arm, putting it over her shoulder and helped him walk in the direction back to Camelot.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur was flat on his back as Merlyn lay down next to him, panting heavily as he groaned. "That was a draw." He announced.

"In your dreams." Merlyn laughed. "You broke first."

"Only because you cheated." He argued.

"All fair in war." She told him.

"God you're annoying."

"Right back at you Princess." She just laughed as he turned and glared at her.

Morgana and Leon were talking at the edge, laughing as the two of them tried to get their breath back.

Gwen ran across to the fields, and Morgana was the first one to see the blood on her dress. "Gwen! What happened?!" The Princess asked. The exclaimed caught the attention of the two fighters that were still lying on the ground, but were quickly to their feet, all thought of aches and tiredness escaping them.

"There were some bandits on the road..." She began, panting a little.

"Bandits? Near Camelot?" Arthur demanded. "Where?"

"Are you hurt?" Morgana asked worried, cutting her brother off, more concerned about her friend.

"I am fine, a man, Lancelot saved me. He killed three of them on the road toward the west, over the hill but the leader got away. Lancelot was the one who was hurt, Gaius is seeing to him now." She told them all.

"Leon.." Arthur turned to his second in command.

"On it." Leon quickly turned and went to the Knights, shouting out orders.

x-x-x-x-x

"I was coming towards Camelot, my Lord, when I came across the group surrounding Gwen. I could not let them hurt her or do whatever they had planned." Lancelot told them as Gaius was putting a bandage on the wound.

"Did they say anything to you?" Arthur asked Gwen as she stood beside the bed that Lance was sat on. His shirt was off as Gaius attended to his wound, cleaning it before stitching it up. The cut wasn't too deep, but he just had to make sure that he didn't get it infected.

"The leader was called Beroun, I think. They said something about how old I looked. Said something about twenty being about the right age." She informed them.

"Sounds like the same motive as the other bandit attacks." Merlyn mentioned. "Why risk coming so close to Camelot? Surely they would know that it would be far more dangerous."

"I don't know, but they must think that whoever they are looking for could be in Camelot." Arthur countered, before turning back to Gwen. "Did they mention anything else? Like a name of some sort of whoever they are looking for?"

"No, sorry."

"Are these the same bandits that have been attacking villages?" Lance asked as Gaius finished his wound. Arthur nodded. "It is not just women that they have been targeting. I went through a village, a few leagues away who said that two men were taken, they too were aged about twenty."

"So it's not just women anymore. What is so special about this person?" Arthur wondered.

"Sire." Leon came into the room. "We found the bodies of the three bandits and found tracks of the fourth leading into the forest."

"Let's go." Merlyn and Arthur headed towards the door.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"The tracks are starting to head north." Arthur noted as they continued to walk through the foliage. It was too dense to take the horses, so they were stuck on foot. As well as Merlyn and Arthur, Leon and three other Knights were scouring through the trees.

"He fell here." Merlyn noted, seeing a broken branch which the man broke as he tripped over it before there was a bigger dint in the mud from a knee as he hit the ground. "He was in a hurry."

They spent the next hour combing through making their way north until the tracks faded. Arthur ordered the Knights to spread out, and look for anything that could be from the bandit.

Looking over the forest, she saw a shadow move, catching her attention. Silently drawing one of her swords, she advanced towards the movement. Instinct told her that it wasn't the bandit. He wasn't as agile as the shadow, which meant it could only be one thing.

"You're not as good as you think you are Mordred." She called out. Arthur and the Knights were far enough away so they wouldn't hear her voice. She doubted that he was here to kill her or Arthur, he was much too overconfident for that. When he attacked, he would want it to be public, for the whole world to see.

"What makes you think that I was hiding?" His voice came from behind a tree as he made his whereabouts known. He lent against the tree smirking at her.

"Why are you following us?" She asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I have been asked to see if you have changed your mind yet." He looked out over the forest. "I don't know why though, Helios seems to have a soft spot for you."

"Because I am the best." He pushed off the tree, swaggering over towards her. "Demoted to messenger boy, you must be so proud." She smirked at him. "Tell him that he knows the deal. The last kid he sent is dead."

Mordred stepped closer to her, eyes roaming her body until he was in her space. He grips her chin, looking into her eyes. "Such a waste." He lent in and kissed her. She didn't react. He pulled away moments later glancing down to see her dagger resting against the region below his stomach.

"Do that again and I'll make sure you can never satisfy a woman, not that you ever could according to the maids." She threatened close to his lips.

"Merlyn!" Arthur voice echoed around the silence.

"Run back to your master." She hissed at him.

"It's been a pleasure, as usual." He pulled away from her, winking before disappearing off into the trees. "Next time, it won't be a social visit."

"Merlyn!" His voice sounded closer, and she turned to see him coming into view. "There you are. You find anything?" He asked getting closer.

"No, nothing. Seems as though he got away."

"You okay?" Arthur asked, she seemed different to what she did not long ago.

"Yeah, fine." She gave him a smile. "Let's head back before it starts getting dark." She started off in the direction that he just came from.

Arthur stood and watched her, before turning to look through the forest in the other direction for any signs of something out of place. Not seeing any, he followed her trail and they began to head back to Camelot.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"It is worrisome that the bandits have ventured so close to the castle." Uther exclaimed as a meeting had been called. "Are we any closer on finding out who this person is and why they are important enough to kidnap so many people?"

"No, my Lord. We have learnt that the person that they are searching for is roughly twenty years of age, but other than that we have no idea. We don't know if it's a man or woman, where they are from or even why he or she is so important." Arthur informed him.

"If I may, my lord." Gaius interjected.

"Go ahead Gaius." Uther gave him permission.

"Perhaps instead of looking at what we don't know, we use what we do know." He began.

"I don't understand." Arthur interjected.

"He means that whoever they are looking for was born roughly twenty years ago." Merlyn picked up on Gaius' train of though. "Was there anything of significance that happened twenty years ago?"

"The Great Purge." Arthur realised.

"How does that have to do with this individual?" Agravaine asked. Merlyn had to refrain herself form glaring at the man as he spoke. "If they are twenty years of age, they would have only just been born when it began."

"Wasn't everyone censored that year?" Arthur asked. "Couldn't we find out the names of everyone who was born between perhaps nineteen and twenty two years of age? See if there is any clues in that?"

"What about the records?" Merlyn asked. "Surely there are records of around that time. There could be something in them that could give us an idea."

"The two of you, go and see Geoffrey." Uther ordered both of them. They both nodded and headed out of the room.

When they were free of the Great Hall, Merlyn spoke. "Whose Geoffrey?"

"He's the court Genealogist. He keeps all the family records and the library in order." He told her. "Maybe we will find you in the records. You're what, twenty?"

"Twenty one, and I doubt it." He gave her a look telling her to continue. "I wasn't born in Camelot."

"Where were you born?" She just smirked continuing on to the library.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morgana had joined them, looking for anything out of the ordinary in the records.

"Here, look!" She exclaimed, making both Merlyn and Arthur rush over to her. "There I am." She grinned.

Arthur let out a sigh as Merlyn rolled her eyes. "We are meant to be looking for clues, Morgana, not your birth certificate." He headed back over to where he was flicking through papers.

"This is pointless." Merlyn complained. "There is nothing here." She closed the latest book. They had been at this for a couple of hours and come up with nothing.

"You got a better idea?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah, catch a bandit and torture them until they tell us. We could have done it with Jarl, but you killed him." She snapped.

"What did you want me to do? Ask him to make daisy chains as we talked about our crushes, oh and who he was trying to kidnap?" Arthur snapped back. "Or maybe you could have keeping watch while someone tried to kill me!"

"Guys.." Morgana tried to interject, but failed.

"I am not your bodyguard! If you can't manage to work out when someone is trying to kill you or even smell poison then I don't know why I bothered and risked my life to save you, you ungrateful son of a bitch!" Merlyn screamed back.

"Yeah? Well next time don't bother; I wouldn't want to put you out or anything. Will save me the trouble of having to spend another minute with you!" He yelled.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Morgana shouted, putting an end to their fighting. "This is helping anyone. You can't change what happened so you both need to get over it."

Merlyn turned and left the library, having Arthur glare after her.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn slammed the door to Gaius' chambers, making the older man jump.

"Something the matter?" He asked, looking over the top of his glasses at her from the book he was reading.

"That idiot!" She started ranting and raving, but Gaius lost interest in what she was saying, as she was letting off steam. She took a deep breath, calming down. "What are you reading?"

"A book from the great purge." He told her.

"What was it like?" Merlyn asked.

"The Purge?" She nodded. "Terrifying. Your father was in Camelot when Uther declared his war on Magic, and he had to run. He had been wary of Uther for a long time, and never told Uther or anyone of his life in Ealdor. You were six months old at the time. He and the Queen's brother, Tristan, ran."

"The Queen's Brother? Why would he run?" She asked.

"The Queen's family had magic, Tristan more than any."

"So Agravaine has magic?" She asked.

"No. You see when magic runs in a family, it does not mean that every member will inherit it. Tristan and Ygraine both possessed magic but Agravaine did not. Ygraine hid her magic from Uther, and even now he doesn't know the truth about his wife. So when Ygraine died, Tristan blamed Uther. When Uther began killing everyone and everything that had magic, Tristan vowed one day to get revenge. Your father and Tristan were best friends, and when they ran, they faked their deaths, making Uther and Agravaine believe that they were dead. Balinor returned to Ealdor, to you and your mother while Tristan decided to keep moving."

"So Tristan is still out there somewhere?" Merlyn asked.

"I don't know. No one has heard anything from him or even seen him in a long time. The last letter I receive from Hunith didn't mention anything about him." Gaius finished his story.

"Could he be behind this? You said you haven't heard from him in twenty years."

"No, Tristan wouldn't do that. If he wanted to attack Uther, he would do it straight up. He would never put Arthur or Morgana in danger. If he was behind these attacks, he wouldn't use criminals to do it, he would do it himself."

They fell into a silence, and Gaius turned back to his book.

"He would have killed me, wouldn't he? Uther? Even though I was a baby, and didn't have any concept of right and wrong, he would have killed me for being my father's daughter and for having magic." Gaius looked back up and paused for a moment before nodding.

"Yes." Merlyn nodded, pacing a little before turning back to him.

"Why did you stay? You practised magic, so why didn't you run too?" She asked.

"I promised that I would watch over Arthur and Morgana. Tristan loved those kids, and they were the only family he had left. Agravaine betrayed him and was on Uther's side, jealous of not inheriting magic." Merlyn nodded, taking in all the new information. "Did you find anything of use in the library?"

"Nothing, just a load of birth certificates. Nothing that can help us find out who they are after."

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Arthur, look." She picked up a piece of paper. "It's the record of mum's death."

Arthur took it from her hands and looked at it. "The start of the Great Purge." He stated. He put the paper down, before sighing.

"Arthur? What was she like?" Morgana asked. She was only a few months old when Queen Ygraine was killed which sent Uther into a frenzy of killing anyone and anything with magic.

"She was.. From what I remember, she was kind, gentle and had an amazing singing voice." He smiled remembering. He felt luckier than Morgana as he had a few memories of her, but even he was only three at the time of her death.

"I wish I had known her." She smiled sadly.

"Yeah, me too." He nodded. "Let's give up. There's nothing in these records."

-x-x-x-x-x-

The next morning, Merlyn was back down in the library, searching for a record of the night of the great purge. She found it and just as Gaius said, it was recorded that both Balinor and Tristan were eliminated.

Arthur found her in there, after Gaius told him that she wanted to check the records again. "Found anything?" He asked, stepping into the room.

"No." She answered, looking through another book.

Arthur came to look over her shoulder. "You're in the wrong year." He told her. "That's only ten years ago." She ignored him, flicking through the pages of the journal, before picking the next one up off the shelf. "Merlyn?" She flicked through that book too. "Are you okay?" She slammed the book shut.

"Yeah." She put the books back before looking back through the papers as if nothing had happened.

"Look, about last night.." Arthur started.

"Forget about it." She didn't look up from what she was reading.

"I want you to know that I don't blame you for me getting poisoned. It was wrong of me to say that." She paused her reading to look up at him. "I know you have been more on edge since that night."

"You were right, I should have noticed the serving boy." She admitted. "I should have known.."

"Merlyn, it's not your fault." She nodded, letting the conversation go. "Come on, we've got hundreds more books to get through." She groaned as he laughed and they went quiet, both trying to find something that could lead them to either whoever was behind the attacks, or who they were looking for.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"How are you feeling Lancelot?" Arthur asked, as he spotted the man near the training grounds a few days later watching them train. Merlyn had yet to appear, but she was almost always late.

"Much better, thank you Sire." Lancelot replied politely before looking back at the Knights who were sparring.

Arthur contemplated him for a moment. "Gwen said that you are quite the fighter."

"I am alright, my lord." Lance admitted. "Nothing special but I can hold my own in a fight."

"Have you had any training?" He asked.

"No formal training, sire. I taught myself. It is a tough world out there."

"It certainly is." Arthur agreed. He spotted Merlyn making her way over to the fields. "Merlyn!" He called her. She spotted him and made her way over. "Fancy having a bit of a spar with Lance here?" He asked.

"Sire, I cannot fight a Lady." Lance straight away refused.

Merlyn smirked and rolled her eyes. "And I thought chivalry was dead." Arthur scoffed before holding up a sword to the man. Cautiously Lance took the sword and Arthur took a step back as Merlyn twirled her swords around, before throwing one to the side.

"I do not wish to harm you." He warned her.

"Trust me Lance, you couldn't even if you tried." Arthur encouraged him.

Since Lance wasn't taking the first shot, Merlyn did, aiming at his right arm. He jumped and defended quickly. "I don't bruise easily." Merlyn assured him.

Finally giving in, Lance began to spar with her, impressed with her fighting skills. He tried everything, all the tricks that he had learnt over the years of travelling, but she managed to block every single one of them. They had been going around for about ten minutes when Arthur stopped them. He could tell that Merlyn hadn't been going all out, but she was testing him.

Merlyn gave him a look before giving him a nod. "Sunrise tomorrow, be here." He told Lance.

"My lord?" Lance was confused. He knew the rules, he couldn't be a Knight, he wasn't of noble blood. But then again, there was a woman in front of him that could fight better than any man he had ever faced.

"Welcome to the Warriors."

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please review :).. Next chapter is a big one :D xx**


	8. Chapter 7: The Fire Burns Forever

_A/N - Thanks for all the reviews!.. Okay so here is the first 'big' chapter of the story.. It the one that most of you have been waiting for and I have been excited about posting :D.. As I was writing the rest of the story over the last couple of days (Yay it's finished - just needs editing) I was debating whether or not to up the rating to M because of some of the fighting scenes later on.. There's a bit of information about this story on my profile so go and check it out :).. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews/follows/favourites and I hope you enjoy it.. x_

_p.s. - Okay I know it's early.. but technically it is Wednesday, just at 1.30am for me.. But I'm really excited for you to read this chapter!.._

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**Chapter 7 – The Fire Burns Forever**

The sun had barely risen over the horizon when Arthur made his way out of the castle. He heard the sound of metal clashing from near the training fields and he went to investigate. Not many people were out, especially training before him. Walking around the wall, he saw the source of all the noise. Merlyn. She was attacking a practise dummy with a single sword, bigger than her usual duel swords. She wasn't wearing her usual armour, just a thin tunic, which was unflattering in his opinion, and pants. Sweat made the shirt stick to her skin as her hair was plastered to her head. Her eyes focused only on the dummy in front of her that was paying for all whatever had wound her up. From the look of her, she had been at it for a while and they would probably have to replace the dummy when she was done with it.

He had given the Knights the day off practise as they had been patrolling to the outer villagers more often than usual with the increased risk of bandits attacking the people of the Kingdom. It was tiring having to travel more often, but if it kept his people safe then it was something he would happily do. He himself was going to patrol that afternoon with Merlyn and Leon to one of the village that was closer, only a couple of hours ride away. They would be there and back before sundown.

She hacked away at the dummy, breaking the wooden arms of the thing. He was caught in two minds about whether he should approach her or not. She was angry, that was for sure, but he knew that he might just make things worse. While things had settled down between them, they still had the occasional verbal argument that got out of hand. Seeing her like this made him worry. He'd never seen her like this since she arrived a couple of months ago. Despite Morgana's plans of trying to get her to open up to them, she was still just as closed off as she had been that first day. He made a decision to leave her be. She was angry about something and he knew if he went over there now he would end up with a black eye or potentially something much worse. She could be a real pain when she wanted to be. He felt someone walk up from behind, stopping beside him and looking over in the same direction.

"Is she alright?" Lance asked him as he took in the sight of Merlyn killing the dummy. He winced a little when she managed to decapitate it's head before continuing on as if nothing had happened.

"I don't know." Arthur admitted. "Leave her to cool down for a while." Lance nodded, not wanting to venture into the Lion's den. Since his arrival and his spar with Merlyn, he knew that she could handle a sword, besting him on a couple of occasions where in all honesty it just felt like she was toying with him for the whole fight until she got bored and just finished him off. He wasn't willing to risk his life by going to her right now.

Merlyn was breathing heavily when she backed away from the dummy. As if she felt eyes on her and she turned to see the two of them watching her. Her glare was burning with hatred mixed in the threat that she gave them. She held Arthur's eyes contact for a moment before turning back to the dummy. She knew that he wouldn't come over. Even he wasn't that stupid.

They both turned away from the practise fields. He just hoped that no one decided to come out and try to disturb her. Trying to change subject, he thought on their travels later that day. "You ready for your first patrol?" Arthur asked.

"Sure." Lance nodded while shrugging. "So just to clarify, being a Warrior is exactly the same thing as being a Knight, but a different name?" He still couldn't get his head around the idea. When Arthur had asked him if he wanted to join, he said yes straight away. He had always dreamt of being a Knight, but he knew his status wouldn't help him.

"Essentially yes. Knights have to be of noble blood." Arthur explained to him. "After Merlyn came to Camelot, I saw her potential and how dangerous she could be, so I came up with the idea. My father agreed, especially after she saved my life and even if Merlyn were of noble blood, which she isn't, she would never be allowed to be a Knight because she is a woman. Morgana may not like the fact, but it is true, written and enforced for hundreds of years."

"I am honoured that you have deemed me worthy of the honor." Lance smiled as they strolled down towards the lower town. Arthur needed to check on the guards at the gate. Lance had been staying in the castle since he had arrived, but he was looking into getting a house. He couldn't stay in the castle and there were some houses for sale so he was off to go and look at them.

"You lasted in a fight with Merlyn for more than five minutes, you deserve it." Arthur joked.

"I hope she is alright." Lance commented, turning back even though they were far enough away now that she was hidden by the slight hill.

"Yeah, me too." Arthur almost shivered at the look he saw in her eyes.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morgana and Gwen came out of the castle, on their way to the lower town. It was market day so Morgana wanted to see if they had any new fabrics, and was dragging Gwen away from her duties to accompany her. She argued that she was her maidservant and so this task required her. Gwen had just laughed at the Princess' antics and agreed. They had just exited the gates of the courtyard when a man walking nearby had caught Gwen's attention. She stopped walking and looked at him in shock.

"Elyan?" She asked. The man stopped and looked up before a smile graced his face. He turned fully so that she could get a proper look at him since she hadn't see him in so long.

"Hi sis." He smiled as she ran and hugged him. Morgana slowly followed, waiting patiently as she watched the reunion. She remembered Gwen once telling her about her brother and how he had left to go and 'find himself'. She had always told her when she received a letter from him, telling her about his travels but the letters were few and far between these days.

When Gwen pulled away from him she hit him hard on the arm. "You don't write for a year?!" She exclaims, anger taking over her features as she reprimanded the young man.

"Ouch! You've been working out." Elyan complained as he rubbed his arm, recoiling a little. "Look, I'm sorry. I've been busy."

"Too busy to tell your Sister and Father that you are still alive?" She asked, crossing her arms and glaring at him. He had been expecting this when he decided it was about time he came home. For a while at least.

"Okay, okay, I deserved that." He admitted. Morgana stood back and watched smiling, reminding her of herself and Arthur. While they argued regularly, they loved each other and would do anything for the other. She laughed to herself as she listened to the bickering that began between her maid and her brother as Gwen kept trying to hit him a few more times.

After Elyan dodged her hit for the last time, Gwen put her hands on her hips before remembering that they weren't alone. When she turned she found Arthur and Lance had also joined them and looked at the pair amused. She blushed in embarrassment before introducing them all. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Elyan, my bone-headed brother." She ignored his protest while Morgana grinned at their behaviour towards each other, reminding her so much of herself and Arthur. "Elyan, this is the Prince Arthur, Princess Morgana and Lancelot." Gwen introduced the two of them.

"It's nice to finally meet the fabled brother." Morgana teased. "We were starting to think that she made you up."

"It's an honor, your highnesses." Elyan bowed a little when he realised who he was introduced to. He knew his sister worked in the castle, but he didn't know she was so friendly with the royals.

They all chatted for a moment, Arthur asking where his travels had taken him and other such things before Gwen had spotted Merlyn heading towards the courtyard gates. Before Arthur or Lance could stop her, she called her over.

"Merlyn!" Gwen shouted, waving her hands, beckoning her towards them. Merlyn looked over when she heard her name, but just turned and headed back into the castle. A frown formed on Morgana's face when she saw her reaction before sharing a worried glance with Gwen. Morgana looked up at Arthur and gave him a 'what did you do?' look.

"It's not my fault." He defended himself.

"We saw her dismembering one of the practise dummies on the training fields just a while ago." Lance explained.

"Perhaps I should go after her." Morgana suggested, beginning to worry about the woman she considered a friend.

"Leave her for a while. Let her cool off." Arthur told them before dismissing himself to go and sort out the guards.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Leon, Lance and two other Knights were assembled in the courtyard with horses ready and waiting for Arthur to return. Merlyn hadn't shown up when they were preparing to head out so Arthur had decided to go looking for her. He knew that she knew that they were meant to go on patrol today and he really didn't have time to hunt for her. He'd asked a few of the servants if they had seen her but it seemed as though he was the last person to see her this morning when she returned to the castle.

Arthur came back out of the castle. "She's no where. Gaius said she left before sunrise and then she disappeared after this morning. Her horse is still here but I can't find her anywhere." Arthur sighed. He stopped himself from getting angry despite his irritations at the woman.

"What shall we do, Sire?" Leon asked. Time was passing and if they wanted to be back that night they would have to leave soon, having wasted time searching for the secretive woman.

Arthur took one look back at the castle before coming to a decision. "Go without her." He decided. He took his horse's reins from Leon before mounting and the five of them left the courtyard. The other Knights and Lance mounted their rides before he called them to move out. He waited a few more seconds, looking back at the castle before kicking Shadowfoot slightly, making his way from the courtyard and then the city.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Returning from the patrol, Arthur was tired. They had spent all time riding, checking in on the village, spending time to speak with the village elders and ask if there had been and developments and also hearing their complaints before heading back to the castle. They hadn't stopped for a break on the return journey, wanting to get back as soon as possible. All he wanted to do was to get some food and collapse into bed. He knew he had to deal with Merlyn at some point, but right now he didn't have the energy. He'd been in a fowl mood since they had left, so the Knight's hadn't bothered him or even thought about questioning him. They were just as relieved as he was when they saw the lights of the castle in the darkening sky.

Dismissing the men for the night, he headed over to the stables to put his horse away. It was one thing that he liked to do himself. He'd always loved horses so he wanted to make sure that Shadowfoot was treated properly. There were many times that he couldn't look after him himself but whenever he could he found that it relaxed him a little. After putting the horse back in the stables, in the stall next to Taika, he headed to the armoury.

The other Knights had quickly removed their amour before returning home, leaving Arthur alone. He was glad to be rid of the heavy chainmail and the cape from around his neck. Collecting his sword, he made a beeline for the door that led directly into the castle. The hallways were quiet at this time of night so he didn't have to stop to talk to anyone on his way up to his chambers.

Entering his chamber, the first thing he noticed was the food on the table, which brought a slight smile to his face. But the thing that caught his attention was sitting curled up on the bench that was in front of his large windows.

"Where the hell have you been?!" He shouted, suddenly angry once more as he slammed the door to his room, locking it so no one would disturb them. "I looked every where for you earlier and you missed patrol!" He threw off his gloves, both landing on the bed as he made his way over to her. She didn't move or so much as flinch when he entered the room or raised his voice. She was like a statue, with her head turned to the window.

As he got closer to her, he could tell that something wasn't right. One look at her face, and his heart broke and all anger left him being replaced by concern. She just stared out of the window with tears rolling down her face. He sat down on the bench next to her as she furiously tried to wipe away her tears, refusing to look at him.

"Merlyn, what's wrong?" He asked, his voice gentle in contrast to the one from only moment ago. "What's happened?"

"I'm sorry." She tried to not sound weak, coughing to try and get her voice stronger, trying to appear fine. "For this morning and missing patrol."

"Forget about it." He assured her. Everything he had thought to yell at her for her indiscretion slipped from his mind. "Tell me what's wrong." She shook her head, fresh tears filling her eyes before flowing down her face. "Does it have to something to do about you killing that dummy this morning?" He asked. She nodded silently. "Please tell me."

She took a deep breath and tried to blink away her tears. "I didn't know where else to go." She said, barely above a whisper. "I couldn't.." She shook her head, tears breaking free and dropping onto her already sodden shirt. She pulled her knees up closer and pushed her head into them, sobbing and muttering "Not today.. I couldn't.." over and over again. Arthur tried to shush her, but her sobs just kept coming.

"What's today?" He asked quietly after a little while and there was a break in her sobs. He had his hand on her back, slowly rubbing circles on it as he tried to comfort her.

"My parents were killed… slaughtered… It's been ten years…" She started sobbing again. This time he shushed her and wrapped his arm around her, making her let go of her knees and turn her so that he could pull her to him. She was like a child, cradled in his arms. He picked her up and walked the short distance to his bed, figuring it would be much more comfortable than the hardness of the bench. Her head rested in the crook of his neck while she sobbed, curling into him. He rested his chin on top of her head as he waited for her to calm down enough to be able to tell him.

It took her a while as Arthur stayed holding her, alternating between rubbing her back and stroking her hair. Her plait had turned messy so he decided that it was now useless. He took the band at the bottom of it out and started to brush her hair out with his fingers. It brought her some small comfort as her breathing became less rigid.

Once her breathing returned to normal, she tried to pull away from him, but he kept her close. He kissed the top of her head as she wiped the remaining tears away. "Do you want to tell me about it? It might help." He suggested softly. He didn't want to cause her more pain, but he truly believed that it might take away some of the pain to tell someone else something that she had clearly been keeping locked away for a long time. She nodded before shifting off him and sat beside him, crossed legged facing him. He sat with his back against the headboard with his legs outstretched after he kicked his boots off into a messy pile on the floor.

Her head bowed as she looked down into her lap, playing with the furs that covered his bed. "I was eleven." She started. "Everyone was in their home sleeping when they came. A group of soldiers stormed our village. They started dragging people out of their houses and people started screaming." She didn't want to look up to see the pity that was undoubtedly clouding his face. "It was the screams that woke me up. My father rushed into my room and took me out of the house, hiding me behind the stables. He told me to stay there and not let anyone see me. So I hid. He went off, started fighting back with some of the other men."

.

_Her heart beat wildly in her chest so hard that she could feel it pulsing in her ears. Smoke rose into the air, as the flames grew hotter as they spread from house to house. Screams broke through the silence as soldiers both on foot and on horseback sliced through the small village. She was crouched near the stables, tears rolling down her face as she shook in fear._

"_Run!" His voice in her head shouted to her. "Go to the forest." She sobbed, trying to curl into a ball and wake up from her nightmare. "Now! Run!" Scrabbling to her feet, she made a run for it. She dodged as the people she had grown up around ran for their lives._

_._

"I don't know where my mother was. I hadn't seen her. The soldiers started killing people, butchering them, setting houses alight after looting anything of worth that they could find from them. We didn't have much money, so it didn't any make sense. I can remember the smell of the smoke as each house went up in flames. I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't help, could only watch as people I knew and children I grew up with were killed."

.

_She was stopped in her tracks and her heart stopped beating. "Mother?" She asked quietly as she saw the form of her mother lying in the street. "Mother!" She screamed, running and collapsing by her side. Shaking her, she tried to rouse her but to no avail. "Mother, we have to go." She sobbed. "Mother."_

_._

"My father told me to run, to get to the forest. So I did. That's when I saw her. My mother. She was lying on the ground. I tried to get her to get up and run, but she wouldn't. I couldn't wake her." Her breathing started to become harsh once more. "She was dead."

Her shoulders shook as her sobs returned. Arthur's heart broke for her. He moved and pulled her against his chest. She didn't protest as her legs curled up underneath her. She sobbed into his neck, wetness running down and wetting his shirt, but he didn't care. He didn't speak, just kissing her head and rubbing her back as she tried to calm herself down again.

_._

_She jumped when she felt herself being dragged up. "You must go now." She turned and saw her father. "Go to the forest and don't look back."_

"_But father.." She began, but he quickly cut her off._

"_Remember everything I taught you, keep your abilities hidden and stay safe." He kissed the top of her head before pushing her in the direction of the forest. "Now run, and don't look back." She ran for the tree line, doing exactly what she was told._

_._

It took her a few moments to compose herself again before she was able to continue. "My father dragged me away from her. He told me there was nothing I could do. He told me to run again, and not look back. I ran, and made it to the forest."

.

_She heard loud bangs and claps of thunder. She stopped running as she entered the forest. Out of breath with tears running down her face, she turned back. She could see the centre of the village where her father had gone. Soldiers pointing their weapons at him to stop him moving surrounded him. A man on horseback sat and watched with a look of glee on his face. She could only watch as the soldiers moved to attack him and he blasted them away with the flick of his wrist. _

_She watched as he fought, giving others in village time to escape. But there were too many of them. He was overcome and fell down to his knees, energy spent. The man on horseback dismounted, walking until he was stood in front of the man who raised her. Her father looked up at him, breathing heavily. The soldiers had him in irons, and he was completely at their mercy. She watched as they exchanged words before a scream left her as the man's sword sliced through her father. She stood frozen as the man withdrew his sword, and pushed her father to the ground in a heap._

_._

"But I did the one thing he told me not to do. I turned around." She took a deep breath before continuing. "He wasn't behind me. He was fighting with the leader who brought the soldiers to the village. He was surrounded, and chained. He didn't have a chance. I watched as they stabbed him, as he fell to the ground."

.

_She watched as he turned around and their eyes met. __The look of joy in his eyes as he grinned towards her sickened her. His face would forever be etched into her memory. She could never forget that face. The man pointed towards the forest giving his men orders before the soldiers advanced towards the tree line._

"_Run!.. Run.. I love you.." His voice told her again, repeating and fading as the life left the dying man on the ground. The soldiers advanced upon her, she turned and ran deep into the forest as fast as her legs could carry her._

_._

"The image of that man haunts me even now. The look in his eyes when he looked over at me; the smirk on his face as he looked around at his handy work. I dream every night of wiping that smug look off his face and killing him." Arthur could feel the anger radiating from her. "He murdered my family, my friends and destroyed my home." Her voice sounded more angry than upset now. She sounded like a woman on the warpath, not that he blamed her for it.

"What did you do afterwards?" He asked, feeling that the worst was over.

"My father's best friend, Gorlois, had been away to another village trading when the attack happened. He saw the ruins of the village and he promised my father to care for me if anything ever happened to him. He found me in the forest and looked after me for about year. After that, I couldn't just carry on like nothing happened, so I ran away. I've lived alone ever since, learning, training so that one day I can find that son of a bitch and make him pay for what he did." Vengeance flared in her voice. He started to fear what she would do if she ever found this man.

"Did you ever find out? Who the man was?"

.

_She was bored having to listen to the arguing over taxes being raised in the outlying villages. She stood at the edge of the room, counting down the minutes until she could get out of here. The topic changed to the bandit attacks._

"_We need to send patrols more often to the villages further away, to hopefully deterred these bandits, and at the very least, make the villagers feel safer." Arthur suggested._

"_It is a waste of our resources." Uther countered._

_"I will admit, it will be more work for myself and the other Knights, but they are our people and are under threat. All I ask is to visit around perhaps every two weeks. Let our presence be known for a while and then we can give ourselves more time to catch whoever is behind all of this." She watched as the King thought about the suggestion before agreeing to it. She sighed knowing that it would be more work for her, even if it was the right thing to do._

_Her attention was drawn to the doors as they were flung open. Her heart stopped. Him. It was him. Her blood began to boil as her hand instinctively gripped the handle of her sword. It could be over in a second._

"_Ah, Lord Agravaine, I was wondering whether to send a search party after you. How was your quest?" The rest of the conversation drowned out as she heard the blood pulsing around her body in her ears. It took everything she had not to stride across the room and slit his throat._

_Then his eyes turned on her as he noticed her standing at the edge of the room. "I see we have a new member." He smiled at her, taken back a little by the look in her eyes._

"_This is Merlyn." Arthur introduced her. "She saved my life a while back and has been made my personal advisor." He turned to look at her, giving her a quizzing look but her eyes were focused solely on Agravaine._

"_Well it is a pleasure to meet you." He smiled at her before turning back to the table. "I do regret, however I am awfully tired from the long journey, if you will excuse me."_

"_Rest Agravaine, you have earned it." Uther dismissed him. His eyes turned on her once more before he headed back towards the door. Her eyes followed him closely; ignoring the stare that Arthur was giving her._

_._

"No." She lied. "But I will." She swore.

Things began to click in Arthur's head about her. Her cold nature, her drive, her hatred of looking weak, it was all because of this. She's been alone for years, with nothing but vengeance on her mind. He couldn't even begin to imagine what she went through.

It explained so much about her. Her secretiveness and how she keeps things close to her chest. How she can just disappear without a trace because she has been doing it all her life. More importantly it explained her fighting. She fought like someone who was trained to kill; the look in her eyes of fury.

He felt like he knew her better now, but more importantly it made her more human. Before she seemed chink-less; untouchable almost. But now she had a past. She had sorrow and she had a reason for living. It wasn't the best reason, but it was what made her get up in a morning, it made her the person that she is. He had seen her at her weakest, and he still thought that she was still the strongest person that he knew, perhaps even stronger than he first imagined. He could never go through what she did.

His mother had died when he was three, barely old enough to remember anything about it. She was eleven and they were killed in front of her eyes. She had looked into the face of their killer and that would forever be burnt into her memory. She could live ten lifetimes and that memory would never fade.

He thought back to when they were looking through the books and papers in the library. She was looking at one ten years ago. She was looking for evidence of the attack on her village, perhaps trying to find out who did it. He swore in that moment that he would help her. He would do whatever it took to bring this guy down.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur made his way to his father's study, wanting to ask him if he knew anything of the incident. He didn't know the name of the village, she hadn't told him, but surely his father would remember a massacre like that. It was something that was pretty hard to forget.

"Sorry to interrupt." He said when he walked into the room after knocking. Uther was sat behind his desk with Agravaine sat opposite him. They were discussion something, probably before it was brought up in the next council meeting.

"It's fine Arthur. What is it that you want?" Uther asked, putting his quill down and giving his son his full attention.

"I actually came to ask if you can remember something that happened ten years ago." He started. Uther looked in interest at what his son was about to ask. "There was an attack on a village. A group of soldiers wiped out an entire village. Did you ever hear of something like that?"

Arthur glanced at Agravaine who looked almost startled as Uther looked in thought. "Not from what I can recall. Why do you ask?" Uther inquired.

Arthur quickly made something up, wanting to protect Merlyn's secret. "Just something I heard on travels. I didn't know whether it was real or not."

"Do you know where this supposed village is?" Uther asked.

"It wasn't in Camelot. I just thought you might have heard of something."

"Sorry, son." Uther told him. "While you are here, I would like you opinion.."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur found her on the training grounds the next morning. She seemed better than she had done the previous day, but then again could she really get any worse. The damaged dummy was lying on the ground near the wall ready to be taken away.

"Hey." He smiled at her as he came to stop beside her. They were alone, none of the Knights had come out yet. They normally were the first ones out so it wasn't suspicious.

"Hi." She said, putting down her blade, shifting awkwardly. "About last night.." She started, embarrassed for having broken down in front of him. She hadn't planned it, but she didn't know where else to go. After he had left to go on patrol she had found herself in his room. Morris had come in once or twice, but he never saw her. Eventually she just sat on the bench and time passed her by until Arthur came in.

"I'm glad you told me." He admitted. She looked up at him. "I want to help you."

"You can't." She said, turning away from him.

"I spoke to my father." He stated.

She spun around so quickly. "You what?" She hissed.

"I didn't tell him anything, just asked if he knew about any.. Incidences.. He doesn't know anything of it." He told her. "Merlyn, I want to help you find who did it."

"You can't help me, Arthur." She shouted. "This is something I have to do alone."

"So why did you come to me?" He asked. "Why not talk to Gaius about it? Or Gwen or Morgana? Why me if you don't want my help?"

"I don't know! Maybe because I thought I could trust you!" She yelled. "I thought that I finally found someone who I could trust and talk to. Gaius lost his niece and even now he doesn't really know the truth about what happened. He would have no idea what it was like but I thought that you might have some idea."

"You can trust me." He told her gently.

"Can I? The first thing you did was talk to your father about it!"

"Because I wanted to help, because I care." He argued.

"I thank you for that, but this isn't something that can just talk to your father about and fix. I lost everyone I ever loved and they aren't coming back. I've spent years doing everything and anything I can to get better, to fight better, to find any information I can, any idea of who was behind it. I was there. I could pick him out of a hundred, hell a thousand men. I've been to every Kingdom and searched for anything that could give me a clue about who he was."

They stared at each other, silence overcoming them both.

"If you really want to help me, then stay out of it." She calmed down.

He sighed. "Okay. But if you ever need any help then come to me. And if you ever want to talk, cry on my shoulder, yell at, hell even take your anger out on, you know where I am. I don't think the dummies can take anymore." He nodded over to the deceased dummy. His comment did what he wanted. She looked over and tried to hold back the smile that was making its way onto her face. He grinned.

"Thank you." She said sincerely. He nodded in response before raising his sword to her.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The Knights were beginning to emerge. Leon and Lance saw the pair of them on the fields sparring when they came out. They shared a glance as they heard the two of them teasing each other and bickering before they headed over to them.

Panting, the two of them separated as everyone came over to them. They didn't look as if they wanted to kill each other. It didn't look like Arthur had ripped her a new one like he had threatened to do the previous day. The Knights were surprised, but no one said anything.

"Right Knights! Pair up!" Arthur shouted, beginning the training session.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Sooo.. Was it worth the wait? Was it who/what you expected it to be?.. Review and let me know what you think :).. x**


	9. Chapter 8: Steel Meets Steel

_A/N - Thank you all for the reviews!.. Glad you liked it :).. I have changed the name of the story (Think it fits better and I really don't know why I didn't use it to begin with) and also the summary :).. So here is the next chapter, and it's the first of two, so enjoy!.._

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 8 – Steel Meets Steel**

Training for the day was over, and a buzz had overcome the city of Camelot. More people crammed into its walls as news of the Open Tournament spread around the villages in the Kingdom and crossing into its bordering Kingdoms. The event was held once every ten years being one of the fiercest competitions around. If you wanted to be known, you would enter the contest. The thing about the Open Tournament is that there were no rules. Any weapon could be chosen and anyone could enter. Of course most of the competitors were Knights within the Kingdom and surrounding Kingdoms simply because anyone else could be seriously hurt or worse. It was time again for this highly anticipated event, which was taking place in a couple of day's time.

Gwen and Lance strolled around the markets, and the amount of trading going on could be nothing but good news for the people of the city. Their friendship had blossomed since the day that he had saved her, and he slowly found himself falling for the Princess' maidservant. She was not oblivious to his subtle charms and would laugh at all his jokes.

"I can't believe so many people come to watch this tournament." Gwen exclaimed as she quickly dodged some running children before coming back to Lance's side as they walked around, smelling the freshly baked goods and looking at the colourfulness of all the fruits and flowers.

"It is a popular thing. I remember when my father brought me the first time. I was five and I think it was the best thing to watch. I was too young to compete last time but now I can finally compete." He grinned.

"From what I have heard it is a ruthless competition." Elyan had told her that he had intended to fight in the tournament. She had been furious with his decision, but there was really nothing that she could do about it. She could imagine Arthur and Lance entering and even Merlyn, but Elyan was her little brother.

"You have not seen it?" He asked, shocked about how she could have lived in Camelot all her life and not seen the contest.

"We were too busy last time. Believe it or not, it is a very busy time for a blacksmith and he has to have all his workers doing chores to get weapons ready and amour fixed." She informed him. "I know there is something about no rules. Isn't that dangerous. Someone could get killed."

"It is true that some have died in the contest, but it is the ultimate test of skill. It is about as close to true battle as you can get without being in a war. It is fun, and while watching you always end up with your favour fighters." He explained. "There are no rules, any weapons are allowed, any tactics can be used, and it is rather exciting."

"Well as long as none of you get hurt, then it will be fine. I can't believe Elyan has decided he wishes to enter." Gwen rolled her eyes.

"From what I have seen, your brother is quite skilled. You should be very proud." He comments.

"We shall see." She nods.

They continued their walk, as Gwen entwined their hands making a grin come over Lance's face. They wandered in silence until someone up ahead caught Lance's attention. "Percival?!" He called and a large man, short hair carrying a pack and a sword at his side turned to face him. After a look of confusion, a large grin appeared on the large man's face.

"Lancelot! Fancy seeing you here." The man, Percival, laughed. Lance let go of Gwen's hand to bear hug with the other man.

"What are you doing here?" Lance asked as they pulled away, slapping his back as they took a step back.

"The tournament of course. What about you?"

"I actually kind of live here now." Lance explained, almost shyly. When he had met Percy, he had been travelling and had told him that he would never stop because he liked the freedom that the open road gave him, but that had all changed since he arrived. "Oh, Gwen, this is Percival an old friend from my travelling days. Percy, this is Gwen, she is the Princess' handmaiden and friend of mine." He introduced the two as he nearly forgot that Gwen was with them.

"It is nice to meet you my Lady." Percy kissed the back of her hand, which made her blush and grin.

"Pleasure to meet you too, Percy." She smiled sweetly. She turned back to Lance. "I should probably be getting back. I'll see you later." She kissed his cheek softly before hightailing it out with a slight blush on her cheeks. The two men watched as she walked away and headed back to the castle.

"She seems nice." Percy commented.

"Yeah she is." Lance replied, almost in a daze. When he looked back at Percy, he saw the smug look on the other man's face. "What?" He acted innocently.

"Nothing. Didn't say a word." Percy held up his hands, grinning from ear to ear.

"Shut up." He muttered, blushing from the other man's implication. "Where are you staying?"

"Tavern probably, if there's rooms left." Percy shrugged.

"Nonsense, you can stay with me." Percy thanked him before the two of them headed off in the direction of Lance's home, conversing over old times.

x-x-x-x-x

Merlyn was heading towards Morgana's chambers with a spring in her step. Since Arthur knew the truth about that night she felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. They still argued with one another, but it ended up more as friendly teasing now. Arthur knew when not to push her buttons and knew when things would perhaps make her angry since he had an idea of what she went through. She was genuinely grateful to him for it.

She had finished her training for the day and wondered if the Princess wanted another sparring session seeing as it was a lovely day. They hadn't trained all week and the last tie she had seen Morgana she had seemed a little off.

She knocked quickly when she arrived before walking in without waiting for an answer. "It's me." She called as she entered and her eyes rose in surprise as she saw Morgana stood in her chainmail, looking startled. "What are you doing?" She asked curiously, closing the door behind her.

"I was erm.. checking to make sure it still fit." The princess quickly told her. "Oh look it does." She gave an awkward laugh. Merlyn folded her arms and raised her eyebrows, not believing a word she said. As soon as she had seen the armour she had a feeling of what the Princess' true intentions may have been. Morgana sighed, knowing she had been caught. "Okay fine, I was going to wearing it tomorrow for the tournament." She gave in, before taking off the belt.

"You know your father will never allow you to compete." Merlyn told her, going over and sitting down on her bed. "It's dangerous."

"It is not fair! There is nothing to say that I can't compete. I mean you are fighting so why can't I?" She complained.

"Because I am not the Princess." Merlyn noted. "Nothing catastrophic will happen if I happen to get injured or even killed. Everyone who fights you will either go easy on you or they will just flat out refuse to fight you."

"Well, Arthur is the Prince and he is allowed, even the King has fought in the tournament." She huffed, plopping down on the other side of her bed. "So unfair. Just because I am a girl."

An idea came into Merlyn's head. She knew that if Arthur found out that she had anything to do with it he would surely kill her, but Morgana was her friend. "A Princess can't compete, but there is nothing saying that young farm boy wanting to prove himself can't."

Morgana looked up and quickly twigged onto what she was saying. "Do you really think I could pull that off? I mean they would know I was a woman straight away, and I don't have a helmet."

At that moment, Gwen entered the room smiling from her walk with Lance and smiled at the two of them before giving Morgana a questioning look as to why she was in her chainmail. "Gwen! Just the person we need." Merlyn smiled. Gwen glanced between the two and got a bad feeling.

"Why do I get the feeling that I am not going to like what you are about to as of me?"

x-x-x-x-x

The tavern was packed with men, most of whom were there to take part in the tournament the next day. They were mock fighting, throwing back as much beer as they could and let out booming laughs as they bragged about creatures that they had fought. Merlyn wandered through the mass of people before stopping at the bar.

"Evening Merlyn." The bartender said as he spotted her sitting on a stood at the bar. "Your usual?"

"Yes please, Tom." She smiled at him, handing him over a couple of coins and thanking him for the drink. She looked around the room to see if there was anyone she could pick out as actually being a competitor to her.

"You fighting in the tournament tomorrow?" He asked, filling a tankard up, before placing it down in front of her.

"Yeah, should be fun. Anyone you think I should look out for?" She asked, taking a sip of the drink. When she first arrived and went to the tavern, this would have been a strange sight for anyone. But since then, the regulars knew Merlyn so they didn't have a problem with a woman drinking with them, not that they could stop her anyway.

"From this bunch? I think most of them will be lucky to make it to the arena tomorrow." Merlyn laughed a little before she looked around the room. She spotted Lance and Leon over in the corner at a table with another man, who she presumed was the friend that Gwen was telling her and Morgana about before.

She was about to go over and talk to them but a man stepped up to her. Taking a sip from her drink she looked up at the man. "Can I help you?" She asked politely.

"How much for a night with you?" He slurred.

"Much more than you can afford." She innocently replied.

"Come on now girly, don't leave a guy hanging." He stepped closer to her. His breath reeked of alcohol. She looked back at Tom who was wiping a tankard with an amused look on his face. She placed her drink back down on the bar before turning back to this foolish man. This was going to be fun. Any of the regulars who noticed them knew what was about to happen and began to watch in anticipation. It was refreshing to see a girl being able to make a man three times her size fall to his knees in front of her.

Lance and Percy were catching up on old times and sharing stories with Leon when Lance looked over towards the bar and spotted Merlyn. He watched as she spoke to Tom before some man walked up to her. He laughed silently to himself as he made eye contact with Leon before nodding in Merlyn's direction.

Percy followed his gaze wondering what was going on and saw a man stepping closer to a woman. He watched as the man's hand went to grab the young woman's ass, before she knocked it away. He saw the smirk on the bartenders face as he shook his head and laughed a little.

"Shouldn't we help her?" He glanced back at the two men across from him who had a similar look as the bartender. He was a little concerned about the lack of interest everyone seemed to have to help this young woman out.

"Nah, she'll be fine." Lance told him while Leon just took another mouthful of his drink making a humming noise.

When the man leant in and tried to kiss her, Percy had enough. If no one else was going to help the girl then he was. Lance watched as his friend stood up and made a couple of strides towards the pair before he could say a word.

In half a second, the man was turned, arm behind his back, wrist broken before he was shoved to the floor with the woman's foot pressing into his back. He stood in shock at what had just happened. The man on the floor wailed in agony as he rolled around, clutching his damaged wrist once she had removed her foot from him. The girl turned back to the bar and shared a joke with the bartender, who just laughed before motioning to a couple of guys to remove the man who was in pain.

Remembering what she was about to do before she was so rudely interrupted, she turned to head towards the table Lance was at when she came face to face with a large man.

A gasp left her lips as recognition swept through the man's eyes.

"Merlyn?!" "Percy?!" They both exclaimed at the same time.

A huge grin appeared on her face before she jumped onto him. Percy barely had time to register before he quickly caught her as she jumped into his arms. "I can't believe it's you!" She laughed, hugging him tight. Lance sat open mouthed at the sight in front of him. Wanting to know what was going on, he stood from the table and stepped towards them while Leon looked on in interest at this new revelation. Merlyn pulled away from the embrace, grin plastered onto her face as he put her back down on the ground. Shock still filled his as it finally sunk in that she was in front of him.

"Erm, how exactly do you two know each other?" Lance asked, looking between the two.

"He's my cousin." Merlyn told him grinning, turning to pick up her almost forgotten drink.

"Merlyn.. How.. What.. We thought you were dead!" He practically shouted, but no one took notice since most of them were far too drunk to care.

The smile faded a little from her face, before she responded. "I should be. Many times over." She felt his eyes take in her form, having not seen her since she was probably about six. "How about we sit down?" She suggested.

"We'll leave you guys to it. I think you have some catching up to do." Lance suggested as Leon finished the rest of his drink and stood up. "You know the way back to mine?" He asked Percy.

"I'll take him." Merlyn told her friend. Lance nodded before he and Leon left the two alone. "I should probably start at the beginning.."

x-x-x-x-x

Arthur sat, picking at his food as they sat around for a family meal. His father was at the head of the table, with him on the right with Morgana next to him as he sat opposite his uncle who was on Uther's left. The current topic between the two older men was the amount of money that was coming into the city from all of the visitors wanting to watch the contest of the decade. He had drowned out their voices for the past ten minutes, bored of the whole topic. He would much rather be in the tavern with Lance and Leon than he here listening to this.

"I decided that I will take part again this time." Agravaine informed them. Arthur jolted back into the conversation at this revelation.

"Perhaps I shall join you. Show these young one what it means to be a true Knight." Uther suggested.

Arthur was lost for words, opening and closing his mouth before his brain finally started working again and he protested the idea. "Father! You know it is a bad idea. You are needed to rule. What happened if something happened to you? What about your shoulder? Gaius said no heavy lifting. I am sure he would have something to say about it." Every reason he could think of came tumbling out of his mouth hoping to dissuade the older man.

"You are right." Uther sighed after a moment. "It would have been good to step out into that arena one last time. I guess it is time to pass the title onto someone worthy. You must do me proud Arthur, but let me tell you, your uncle will be no easy match." The two of them then started talking about old times, and about other fighters from previous years.

"If I may be excused, I am not feeling too well." Morgana stated, setting her plan into action. She needed them to believe that she was too ill to go and watch the tournament tomorrow so she this would be the perfect cover.

"You do look a bit pale, you should get some rest." Uther responded after examining her for a moment. Morgana smiled weakly at him before standing and heading out of the room, with Gwen behind her. The two shared a smile before heading out to go onto the next stage of the plan.

"It was a lovely dinner, father." Arthur smiled. "But if you will excuse me, I have to see some of my men." Uther nodded before Arthur quickly exited the hall and headed straight out of the front of the castle in the direction of the tavern.

x-x-x-x-x

".. So I came to Camelot and now personal advisor to the Prince." She laughed at her ridiculous title. Really all she did was argue with him on occasion when he completely disregarded her suggestion. She would have to start suggesting the opposite to her actual thoughts for him to actually listen to what she wanted. Reverse psychology.

"Wow. I haven't seen Uncle Gaius in years! I was hoping to find him on this visit." Percy admitted. She had left out big chunks of the truth.

"So you are here for the tournament then?" She asked, taking a sip out of her goblet whilst changing the subject.

"Yes and so far this trip has been so full of surprises. Lance and now you."

"So what have you been doing? I haven't seen you since… What, you would have been twelve?" She asked.

"It's been a long time." He laughed. "You know, odd jobs. I was in the army for a while but that didn't work out so just been doing anything I can really." He shrugged. "Nothing as exciting as working for the Prince of Camelot I can assure you."

Merlyn laughed. "You haven't met him yet. We should probably hit the hay. Big day tomorrow."

"Please tell me you aren't fighting." He suddenly twigged onto her implication.

"You going to go all big cousin on me?" She asked, finishing off her drink.

"Just.. be careful." He rolled his eyes. "Come on. Let's go."

x-x-x-x-x

Arthur walked towards the Rising Sun, hoping that the guys were still in there when he saw Merlyn walking out smiling with a man beside her. She watched as she pointed over in the direction of some houses before he watched the two of them hug. He watched closely as the hug lasted longer than two people who had just met. Hell, it was longer than two friends. He watched as the man kissed the top of her head before pulling back. The man headed in the direction that Merlyn had pointed to and waved to her before he disappeared from sight. Who was that man?

Merlyn stood there watching after him for a while before she turned towards him. He continued his walking, trying to look natural as she saw him, like he hadn't just been watching her.

"Hey Arthur." She smiled at him. "If you're looking for Leon and Lance they left a while a go." She told him.

"Oh. Well I guess I should get to bed. Big day tomorrow." He answered.

"It sure is." She smiled. "Goodnight Arthur." She headed off in the direction of Gaius's quarters as he watched her go. When she was out of sight, he looked back to where he had last seen the man and then to where Merlyn had gone. Sighing, he turned back and headed towards his own chambers. He needed to rest before the tournament began.

x-x-x-x-x

"How do I look?" Morgana asked as she stood in the middle of Gwen's house in her chainmail, without the belt this time, wearing a plate Pauldron, Vembraces, Cuisse, and Greaves. The armour was a bit more substantial to what she was used to but she had to disguise the fact that she was a woman. It was still fairly light thanks to Gwen's suggestions and he knowledge of armour. Thankfully there were some pieces of armour left over.

"Wait a second!" Gwen called, walking over and handing her a helmet. She put on the piece before turning back at the two other women in the room. "Perfect! I'd never know it was you."

"Merlyn?"

The warrior was dressed in her usual tight fitting leather armour. She disliked plate armour because it was so much heavier to fight in. Leather was slightly less protection, but it gave her the advantage of being faster moving. Part of it was lightweight metal, but that just mostly restricted her movements. Her hair was braided into her fighting tightly and finished at the bottom of her shoulder blades.

"Let's just hope you don't get chosen to fight me." She grinned. "Come on, we need to get the arena."

"Good luck! I will be cheering for you both!" Gwen called after them as they left the house and headed to the arena.

x-x-x-x-x

**So what do you think? Please review! x**


	10. Chapter 9: Last Man Standing

_A/N – Hey everyone, sorry this is late.. I did try editing this last night and uploading it but after one too many drinks I decided it probably wouldn't have been a good idea, so now I'm on a train editing it for you, so it can be uploaded as soon as I get some internet!.. Hurray!.. Thanks for all the reviews.._

_Guest #1 – Thanks!_

_Guest #2 – Thank you for the advice __.. Yeah, I was a little worried about introducing characters too quickly (Elyan in chapter 7, Percy in Chapter 8 as well as others before) but for this story most of the Knights don't really have a big part of it, they are just side characters because the main pairing for this is the building relationship between Merlyn and Arthur, how that changes from initial intentions and whether or not something else will grow between them.. Their stories will be told (hopefully) in later parts of the series (as long as it goes so far).. The main reason for these past two chapters was just more to separate the 'big' chapters and so everything didn't happen at once and seemed like I rushed into certain parts.._

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 9 - Last Man Standing**

The crowds were gathering as the excitement grew around the arena. The King had yet to make his appearance to announce the beginning of the contest so all the competitors waited around in the tented area to the side. Men were stood around laughing and joking with each other, all separated off into groups as they eyed up the competition.

Merlyn was stood with Percy and Lance while they waited to be called in. Many of the men that were in the tavern the night before were hanging around preparing themselves for the battle ahead. Arthur was with some of his Knights, seeing who would offer him the most competition apart from Merlyn. His attention was caught when he heard a booming laugh from the man he saw last night hugging Merlyn. The woman herself was stood beside him with a huge grin on her face as Lance shook his head, trying to get his chuckles under control. Arthur looked hard at the other man's face, trying to determine if he had ever seen him before. He really should have just asked Merlyn rather than pretending he wasn't there.

Leon was beside him trying to focus, getting his head in the right place for the fight. There was the booming laugh again that drew his attention back over to Merlyn where a big burly man had approached the group. Arthur watched for a second before realising that something was about to happen.

"What's a girl like you doing here?" The man laughed, with some of his buddies joining in.

"What does it look like?" She asked, rolling her eyes. She was surprised that it took this long for someone to confront her.

"You can't compete! You're a woman!" He announced as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He eyes up her armour and her weapons before looking around to see quite a few of the men looking at them.

"Damn really? All this time and I never knew." She responded sarcastically, fiddling with one of her daggers in her hand, spinning it before smiling sickeningly sweetly at the man.

"Is there a problem?" Arthur asked as he stepped over towards them. He shared a glance with Merlyn who didn't seem too bothered that he had stepped in.

"She can't fight!" The man protested. Merlyn just rolled her eyes once more before turning to Arthur, waiting for his reaction.

"She can fight." Arthur simply stated, shrugging.

"But the rules.." The man began.

"The rules state that there are no rules, therefore there is nothing to say that a woman can not participate. If there were, you surely couldn't contend." Merlyn smirked, rolling back her shoulders in confidence, knowing that she would defend herself if it came down to it, but Arthur would never let it come to that.

"You little.." The man took one step towards her, before the trumpets sounded signalling that they were to enter the arena to be welcomed by the King. She gave him a little smirk before he glared and turned to enter, fuming.

More than a hundred men, and Merlyn, stood in the arena, facing the King. He stood from his throne and addressed everyone. Merlyn looked around making eye contact with those that she knew. She saw the small frame of Morgana in full armour at the side with her helmet on. She could tell that she was nervous, but it would disappear before the actual fighting would begin.

"Welcome to the 24th Open Tournament!" The crowd cheered as the King address the crowd and the competitors. People were making bets, choosing their favourites and getting in the mood for some good fighting. "I regret to say that my daughter, the Princess Morgana will not be joining us today but I hope we will have a exciting day ahead of us." The fighters looked between each other, all ready and waiting to rip into each other as they waited for the King to explain the structure of the contest. "Today will commence the first round. Each competitor will engage in five matches. The top 64 fighters will progress into tomorrow and into round 2, the knockout stage. Let the tournament begin!" He announced and the crowd went wild with excitement. Merlyn smiled when she hear Gwen screaming and getting into the whole experience.

The fighting began. Ten battles were to be held in separate areas of the arena as those who weren't fighting just yet stood outside, waiting for their turn. They interchanged, the number of their wins being tallied along side their names on the board that was being kept by Geoffrey. Gaius helped patch a few cuts and bruises up in between bouts but others chose to retire against some of the more vicious attacks. Thankfully there were only a handful of those who were seriously injured, and no one had died like in previous years.

Merlyn fought with her twin blades, which were an advantage as well as a disadvantage. One of her opponents was using a mace, to which she couldn't block with her blades and instead had to quickly duck and dive out of the way as he swung the metal ball towards her. She won in a landslide, but it was more exhausting than she was expecting. Arthur stuck with his usual sword and shield, not confidant enough with the dual blades that Merlyn had been teaching him over the past couple of months. He was more suited with the shield, being a bit slower that she was, but he was getting better. The more they trained the more stamina he seemed to build. Others used lances and spears, which Merlyn didn't understand because they were easily blocked, and someone even used sticks instead of actual swords.

Merlyn won all of her fights, as did Arthur, Percy, Lance, Eylan, Morgana (Freddrick), Leon and Agravaine. They were all guaranteed to get through to the next day where they would be placed into two halves. They would then have to win to stay in. Their audience was going wild, changing bets and collecting their money on individual fights.

They all waited to see the list and who would be fighting whom in the next round. The remaining competitors were split into two halves and the winners of the two halves would battle it out in the final. When it was announced, Merlyn, Morgana, Agravaine and Elyan were all on one half of the draw whereas Arthur, Leon, Lance and Percy were on the other.

"Guess I will see you in the final." Arthur smirked at Merlyn as he saw they were in opposite halves.

"I guess you will."

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Welcome to Day Two!" A wall of noise greeted Uther as he shouted over the arena. "Good Luck you those remaining."

The second round was similar to the first, only that there were five fights going on in the arena at once. Each other these seemed to take longer that the first round, but then again some of those in the first round weren't particularly very good.

"Why did that man just glare at you?" Morgana asked Merlyn as they were sat waiting for their names to be called to fight in the third round after progressing from the second. The man from the bar a few nights back was still clutching his wrist that she had broken when he had tried to feel her up. Merlyn just smirked and explained what had happened. "Clearly not from around here." She laughed. "Men are just real jerks!"

"You got that right." Merlyn agreed. "Lance is coming." She warned the other woman. No one else knew that Fredrick was really Morgana apart from Merlyn that meant that Merlyn tried to look out for her whenever she could, even though the other woman could hold her own.

"Nice fighting Merlyn." Lance grinned at her as they hi-fived each other before he sat down beside them. "Whose this?" He asked, gesturing to the fighter with their helmet still on.

"This is Freddrick." Merlyn introduced them. "He likes to keep his helmet on, you know stay focused." She explained.

"Nice fighting Freddrick, You don't look like much, but certainly have some skill." Lance complemented her.

"Thank you." Morgana put on a deep voice, hoping it didn't sound too out of place.

"Anyway, I've got to go. How's Morgana by the way?" He asked Merlyn. "Gwen said she wasn't feeling so well."

"Just a bit of flu. Should clear up in a day or two." Merlyn smiled at him. One of the guards shouted her name and she quickly stood. "Gotta go."

-x-x-x-x-x-

"May I present, your round four contestants." Uther introduced them as the remaining sixteen stood in a circle, looking at the crowds. The crowds cheered, and some of the fighters waved to people cheering their names. Arthur was a popular contestant, as expected, but so was Merlyn it seemed. She had some young girls shouting for her, and quiet a lot of the men in the crowd were impressed with her skill. "Rest up, it will be a tough day tomorrow."

The crowd began to disperse and the fighters left the arena. Morgana quickly left, needing to get back to her room before Uther came to check on her. She dashed back to Gwen's house, removed the armour before pulling up her cloaks hood and making a run for the castle.

When she entered the room, she gasped when she saw Arthur stood by her window. He turned when she entered and gave her a look.

"Feeling better sister?" He asked.

"A little. I felt some air would be good." She smiled at him innocently.

"As well as a fight with a man three times you size? That always helps me." He asked nonchalantly.

"I don't know what you are talking about." She insisted, taking her cloak off and stepping behind her changing curtain. She should have known that Arthur would see straight past her disguise.

"I know it is you Morgana, I know how you fight remember. I taught you." He reminded her. "Father will go mad if he finds out you are competing."

"Yes, well, he is never going to find out, which is the whole point of the disguise." She admitted, knowing there wasn't much point in carrying on denying it. Arthur knew her too well.

"And I wonder whose bright idea that was." He rolled his eyes, knowing exactly to blame for his sister's current status. Since Merlyn had arrived and turned everything up on its head, Morgana had wanted to take a more active role in the Knight's and with such duties. "I would tell you to drop out if I would think that you would listen, but be careful Morgana. Some of these men are dangerous and aren't above killing to win this contest."

"Come on Arthur, you know I am good." She insisted, coming out from behind the screen in her nightgown.

"Skill wise, yes. But they have far more strength that you do and all it takes is one mistake and it would be easy for them to outmanoeuvre and overpower you. Just be careful and don't let father know." He warned her.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The call up for the day's fights was on the board. With only sixteen people left in the competition, tensions were rising and the fights were taking longer and longer as the lesser skilled fighters were removed.

Merlyn went over to the board when she arrived at the tented area and her heart beat faster when she saw the name of her opponent. Agravaine.

The other battles for the fourth round had already finished. Each fight was alone in the arena now, and hers fight against Agravaine was the last on of the list before the quarterfinals would begin.

"Merlyn, you're up." Arthur called to her, having just finished off one of his own Knights. "Go easy on him." He commented as she walked past, knowing that she could beat his uncle with her eyes closed. Agravaine was a skilled fighter, but his strength and power had slowly been reducing over the years.

Entering the field, she twirled her swords around, waiting for the man to show himself. Arthur had gone to sit beside Leon in the stands as Agravaine came into the arena.

"This fight is between Merlyn and the Lord Agravaine." Merlyn focused on the man in front of her as the crowd chanted and cheered. Her ice-cold glare would have frozen a lesser man, but Agravaine just prepared himself. She heard Percy shouting 'Go Merlyn!" while others screamed. Arthur just clapped, not wanting his uncle to get hurt, but knowing what the outcome of this fight would be.

"Fight!" The referee called and Merlyn flew at him half a second later. He barely had time to register that she had moved before he had to defend, sword forgotten as she battered his shield with strikes, trying to go around his shield.

"What the hell is she doing?" Arthur asked Leon, leaning forward in the stands. "Merlyn!" He tried to get her attention but it was too loud.

She backed off a little, only enough for him to send her a swipe that she easily dodged, ducking underneath it before rolling and coming behind him. He turned just in time to block her next attack before taking a chance and swinging his sword in her direction. She used her blades to block, before taking a couple of steps back. She began circling, twirling the swords with a burning rage in her eyes.

Finding her composure once more, she backed off fighting a little, letting him some attacks her way. How easy it could have been, it could be an accident of the games, an unfortunate incident. She took the slight pause to glace into the stand, and saw Arthur looking worried. Could she really do it, especially with everyone she had found herself learning to care about watching her?

Breathing heavily, more from anger than actual exhaustion, she attacked once more, this time not as vicious. She became strategic rather than acting out of anger, feigning one way and going another, ducking and spinning before she managed to knock the shield out of the man's hand.

Having nothing left to lose, Agravaine brought his sword down on her, her blades crossing to counter the move before spinning and pointing her sword to the other man's neck. Seeing no way out, Agravaine surrendered in defeat, dropping the sword, which was now down by his side. Her chest heaved, glaring into the eyes of the man she despised with her sword still raised at his neck. It would be so easy, it could be over. Arthur watched, as she didn't remove her sword, and stood up. The crowds cheered, standing in applause for the woman who had beaten the Lord.

Her lowered her weapons, and stepped back. Not wanting to be in the arena for longer than necessary, she escaped after she was declared winner. Arthur rushed past Leon as he headed in the direction she had disappeared to.

"What the hell was that?!" Arthur shouted as he chased her down. "I asked you to go easy on him and instead you just went mental! You could have beaten him with your eyes closed and yet you tried to humiliate the guy! You could have killed him!"

Anger flared up within her. "I am fighting to win, and that's what I did." She growled. Surprised by the venom in her voice, he backed off and watched as she walked away.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The next round began. With only eight competitors left, people were taking bets on who was the most likely person to win. Prince Arthur, the future King and leader of Camelot was a popular choice. Merlyn, the Prince's skilled and aggressive right hand was also up in the rankings. Knights Leon, and Vidor had more of an outside chance, but still fairly popular. Then came the skilled commoners, Lancelot, Percival, Elyan and Morgana as Fredrick, whom everyone had been impressed with, his slight stature and speed.

The contests were announced, and the people were excited. "The contests for the Quarter Finals are as follows." Uther announced from his place in the stands. "Sir Vidor will fight Fredrick, Prince Arthur will fight Lancelot, Merlyn shall fight Elyan and finally Sir Leon will take on Percival."

Sir Vidor grinned as he was drawn against whom he perceived as the easiest of the group. His match came up first. Morgana shared a look with Arthur who told her to be careful as the other competitors exited the arena and took their place in the stands to watch.

Morgana readied herself, warming up her shoulders as she waited for Uther to begin the bout. The fight itself didn't last all that long. Sir Vidor was overconfident and didn't expect the attack to be as vicious or as precisely placed as it had been. He fell after some well placed hits and the farmed from far away was named winner. Arthur watched Vidor's form and made mental notes of what he needed to work on, the more important of all being his ego. Hopefully the defeat would deflate it for him.

Arthur was up next against Lance. The two circled each other, knowing how the other fought having fought several times since Lance's arrival in Camelot. Lance hadn't managed to beat him yet, but had come close on a couple of occasions. He was determined to do it now. Despite his determination and how brave he fought, he fell. Arthur helped him up off the floor as he was named winner and the two half hugged before walking out of the arena together.

Merlyn faced off with Elyan. She was impressed with his ability. She had only spoken to him a few times since he decided to visit. She had apologised for her actions that morning when he did arrive. Deciding to take a chance, she tested him for a while, seeing how he would react to certain moves similar to the way that she had done with Lance. She knew she could beat him, but she wanted to know if he was really good enough, and the best way to do that was to fight. Only a misplaced step put him off balance, and Merlyn quickly finished him off. Despite his disappointment, Elyan was quite happy to get further than anyone expected him to get. Merlyn gave him a nod of respect before she glanced to Arthur who seemed to think the same thing. They shared a nod to speak about it later.

Last match up of the day was Leon against Percy. They sized each other up before they attacked. They pushed and pulled and ended up taking the longest out of the round. They were evenly matched and neither underestimated the other. They took each blow as they came and stayed focused. Eventually Percy managed to get the better of the Knight with his increased strength.

Now all that were left, were four. Arthur, Morgana, Merlyn and Percy.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"So can you give me any tips on how to beat Arthur?" Percy asked as they sat in Gaius' chambers that night. He had gotten a graze on his arm that Gaius was patching up. The older man had been thrilled when Merlyn told him days ago that Percy was in town. He hadn't seen the lad since he was a boy, and it was nice to have family around.

"You know I can't tell you." She laughed as she played with one of her throwing knives, twirling it.

"What's going on between you two, anyway?" Gaius was out checking on Morgana's 'health' which left the cousin's to talk.

"Nothing, why?" She asked curiously.

"The way he looks at you, especially when I seem to be around." He told her. "If I'd have to guess, I'd say he was jealous."

"Why would he be jealous?" Merlyn asked. "He's probably doing it to irritate me." She shrugged.

"It is like pulling the pigtails of the girl you like?" He grinned at the look of disbelief on her face. Even if he didn't believe that the Prince felt something for her, he loved to embarrass her, even as children.

"What?! NO!" She retorted, cheeks blushing. "He is the most annoying, self centred, prattish, stuck up.."

"Okay, okay I get it." He laughed. "Anyway, I'd better get going. You never know, we could end up facing each other tomorrow in the final."

"Be prepared to lose." She grinned. He laughed as he made his way out of the quarters.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Percy swung, barely missing the top of Arthur's head as he ducked underneath the blow. Quickly putting up his shield, he deflected the attack from the Prince and took several steps backwards. The looks in the Prince's eyes were focused, vowed on winning. He could relate.

He watched as Arthur twirled his sword before getting into stance again. The two exchanged blows, fighting hard and breathing hard. Percy was a much better fighter than Arthur had first given him credit for. The bigger man may have been slower, but he sure made up for it in strength, making Arthur take longer to recover from the blows.

Merlyn watched on the side-lines, she too had been impressed with Percy. She knew he was always good, but he had definitely improved since they used to play fight together whenever his family had come to visit them. But then again she was a six year old in a dress, so it was unfair to begin with.

She watched as Arthur managed to disarm his opponent, and after a short struggle, he was named winner, but not from the lack of trying from Percy. He'd blocked with his shield and used it as a battering ram as an effort to try to distract Arthur long enough to regain his sword but it was in vain.

Merlyn patted Percy on the back when he headed over to her. "Unlucky, thought you nearly had him there." He smiled as they exchanged places.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn and Morgana stood opposite each other, swords at the ready. "You ready?" Merlyn asked her after the referee had begun the fight. Morgana nodded before the two of them began. Morgana knew that she couldn't beat her. The pupil hadn't quite become the master just yet, but it was a good chance to show off her skills still.

Changing from her sword and shield, Morgana opted to use dual swords. The two of them ended up fighting in a flurry of swipes and clashes, trying to disarm rather than to hurt. They continued for a while, only stepping back a couple of times to catch their breath. Arthur looked impressed at his sister's improved skills and was quietly happy that Merlyn had begun to train her. She had done a good job and this was the first fight that he didn't have to worry about her safety. He knew Merlyn wouldn't hurt her especially since she was the only other person to know of her true identity.

Even Uther looked impressed at the newcomer's ability. He sat on the edge of his seat, cheering along with the crowd as the two exchanged blows. The crowd all cheered when Morgana had managed to knock one of the swords out of Merlyn's hands.

Taking a step back Merlyn nodded in admiration, the other sword twirling. They began to circle each other once more before preparing themselves once more. Things became a little more challenging for Merlyn, but after a duck and a twist, Morgana was left open, and Merlyn put her sword to her throat as Morgana's were by her side.

Morgana dropped her swords in defeat and could only smile as a grin appeared on Merlyn's face of pride in her student. She could even hear Arthur shouting for her. Morgana looked over at her brother to see the grin plastered on his face and the look of pride in his eyes.

Taking a risk, she removed her helmet. The crowd gasped as her long brown her cascaded down her back as Merlyn stepped back. Uther's eyes opened wide in surprise but then turned to rage. Morgana ignored him and waved at the crowd who now began to cheer for their Princess.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"MORGANA YGRAINE PENDRAGON!" Uther boomed as he marched over to where Morgana was surrounded by Arthur and the warriors. The lads were all impressed at her fighting, and some of the Knights blushed at the idea that they fought against the Princess and lost, even if they didn't know it. The sound of Uther's voice made nearly all of them scatter as he came to a stop in front of his two children who stood tall.

"Father.." Arthur began to try and calm his father down, but it was no use.

"I should have known you were up to something! You know full well that you are not to participate in these events whether or not there are rules restricting you. You could have been hurt or killed!" He bellowed before turning to Arthur. "And you! You let your sister fight! You knew that she was fighting and didn't inform me straight away!"

"This has nothing to do with Arthur!" Morgana shouted back. "This was about me. I wanted to prove myself and I did."

"It is too dangerous for you." He insisted.

"Clearly not. I fought, I reached the last 4 and I survived, actually I did better than surviving. Now you can stop treating me like I am a piece of glass that will break."

"Father, even you were impressed by her fighting, I could see it. When I found out she was competing it was already too late and I warned her to be careful. She is a good fighter, and she just proved it to you and everyone else that their Princess isn't just a pretty face."

Uther glared at his two children, both sticking together. Morgana turned and smiled at Arthur sticking up for her. "We will discuss this later." He snapped, before heading back off to the arena.

"Thank you Arthur." Morgana hugged her older brother.

"I wasn't lying, you were amazing. You even managed to disarm Merlyn! Not even I have been able to do that with dual swords." He said in a voice that radiated how proud he was of her.

Morgana grinned before heading off to the stands, waiting for the final to start.

"So it is the two of us again." Merlyn said as she walked up from behind him.

"It would seem that way. Not that we haven't done this before." He smiled. The trumpets sounded. "We'd best go, can't start without us."

-x-x-x-x-x-

The final was different that the other matches. This time it was a best of three rounds and the winner takes all.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce to you your finalists. Arthur, Prince of Camelot and Merlyn." Uther introduced them, still an angry tone in his voice as he snapped before angrily falling into his seat and just waved half heartedly to begin the fight. The crowd was split between whom to back. A lot of them had heard of some of the epic sparring session that the two of them had on a regular basis, and it was bringing the roof down.

The first of the three rounds went to Merlyn in magnificent style. She had been knocked off her feet, but after a quick roll she managed to jump back up and kicked against his shield, before her sword was pointed into his side. Knowing he couldn't get out of it, he dropped his sword in defeat.

"Getting tired, _my lord_?" She teased him and they began circling each other for the beginning of the second round.

"Just makes it a bit more dramatic when I end up winner." He responded.

The second one went to Arthur, one of her swords got stuck in his shield and he used the opportunity to knock her off her feet. She landed flat on her back, and slightly winded. Arthur had helped her up as they began to prepare for the last and deciding round.

Exchanging blows, they teased each other, feigning attacks and it was like they were back in the training fields. Merlyn grinned as Arthur tried to distract her by saying something, but it wasn't working. They broke apart for a moment and she seemed to remember where they were.

Swallowing her pride, she did the one thing she vowed never to do, but it was the right thing to do. She took a wrong step, allowing Arthur to overpower her and she fell to the floor with his blade pointing to her neck. The look between the two of them said everything. Arthur's eyes were filled with fury, and her were almost apologetic. He knew exactly what she had done. He knew her too well to know that she wouldn't make that kind of mistake without it being on purpose.

Holding out his hand, he helped her to his feet as the King declared him winner. Merlyn nodded to him, stepping out of the arena, letting Arthur have his moment of glory.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The winner's feast was filled with many of the fighters who took part. Many of the men wished to congratulate the Prince on his win, none of them seeing the step that she had put in. Other wanted to compliment her. None of them had ever seen anyone fight the way that she did. She actually enjoyed herself at this feast, laughing and joking with Lance and getting to spend time with others who saw her worth.

"You know the Prince is glaring over here again." Percy informed her as he had done not too long ago.

Merlyn looked over and their eyes met. He glared for a moment before turning back to the person who was talking to him. "He's just wallowing." She laughed. "He'll be fine."

"So Percy, what are your plans now that the tournament is over?" Lance asked his friend as they stood around drinking wine.

"Not really sure mate." Percy shrugged.

"What about if you stayed around here for a while?" Merlyn suggested. "We could do with a few more fighters like you."

After making eye contact with Arthur, who was back to his glaring at him, he got a smirk on his face. "I don't see why not."

Merlyn turned back to look where he was looking and groaned. "I'll be back in a moment."

Storming over to the Prince, Arthur excused himself from his conversation and met Merlyn part way. "Will you quit glaring at me! It's getting old." She hissed.

"That's what you get for throwing the fight." He snapped back. "I could have won without the help from you."

"Maybe, but I wasn't taking that chance." She checked to make sure that no one was around listening to them. "Look, despite your bruised ego, just accept that you won. How would it have looked if a woman beat the future King? You may have beaten me anyway, but take my miss-step as a gift and accept it." After a grunt from the annoyed Prince, she grabbed his arm. "Come here, there's someone I want to introduce you to."

Coming to stop in front of Lance and Percy, the top men looked at the pair. "Congratulations on your win, my Lord." Percy complimented him.

"Thank you." Arthur replied.

"Now, since you have never formally been introduced, Percy, this is Arthur. Arthur, this is Percival, my cousin." The look on the Prince's face was priceless. All his annoying jealously over the past couple of days was for nothing.

"Cousin?" He asked her with wide eyes and was given a nod in response. "It's a pleasure to meet you Percival."

"Like-wise." The two of them shook hands.

"Percy is going to be staying in Camelot for a while." Merlyn informed him.

"It will be good to have you around." Arthur nodded.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur spotted Elyan stood with his sister speaking with Morgana when he made his way over to them.

"Elyan, may I have a word?" He interrupted.

"Of course, my Lord." The two of them stepped away.

"I was impressed by your fighting against Merlyn, I must admit I wasn't expecting you to be that good." Arthur told him.

"Thank you, my lord." Elyan smiled at the compliment.

"It's Arthur, and we'll make a warrior out of you yet." Elyan couldn't help the grin on his face spreading as Arthur walked away. Turning back to Gwen and Morgana, the two girls wore the biggest grins, hearing most of the conversation. Gwen hugged him and squealed as Morgana laughed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please review!.. Thanks x**


	11. Chapter 10: Remember Yesterday

_A/N - Hey everyone.. So this isn't my best chapter, but I decided to take out half of the original chapter and put it into the next one (so it's extra long the next one).. It's a little shorter than the others, but I hope you enjoy it! x_

x-x-x-x-x

**Chapter 10 – Remember Yesterday**

Shouting from the training fields drew many people's attention as they walked by. It was not unusual for the Prince and Merlyn to be at each other's throats, but it had been happening more regularly. Neither of them would back down and it usually ended up with one or both of them storming off. The King had been informed of several of these feuds, but he found them more amusing than anything else. Despite the disrespect that the woman showed his son on several occasions, it was just the thing he needed to keep him grounded. If it were anyone else then he would have had the person sent straight to the cells or stocks.

Morgana sighed as she sat on a small hill that lead to the castle with Leon by her side as they watched the two arguing down below. Training had finished a while ago, but the other two were still arguing, oblivious to everyone who was listening in or watching.

"Is it just me or are they both more irritable recently?" Morgana asked, almost in amusement as she watched Merlyn throw something at Arthur's head, which he managed to dodge.

"They are arguing more often." Leon agreed. "If I might say, I think Arthur might be jealous."

"Jealous? Of what?" Morgana turned to look at him. The thought had never crossed her mind. Her brother could be an arrogant competitive idiot, but she had never once seen him jealous before.

"Well, since the tournament, there is now Percy and Elyan joining our little group of fighters as well as Lance and myself. He isn't getting to spend as much time with her alone as he did before. He will never admit it but it seems far too coincidental."

"I never thought of that. Well that may change. The King has requested Arthur to take someone to check out a lead on a group of bandits who were spotted. It will just be the two of them."

"Maybe that's what they are fighting over." Leon suggested, before hissing as he saw Merlyn throw something else in the direction of the Prince who only just managed to dodge out of its path.

"You are an ass!" They heard Merlyn yell at him before storming off towards the castle.

They watched as some of the Knight recruits were sniggering at the show they had just watched. Big mistake on their part. "5 laps! Now!" Arthur yelled at them. Leon rolled his eyes as he saw one of the recruits, Haytham, begin to argue. "10!" Arthur increased it. The recruits quickly started their running as Arthur headed in their direction.

"You don't have to take it out on the poor boys." Morgana cooed as he passed them.

"Shut it." He grumbled as he continued to the castle.

Morgana laughed quietly watching the recruits doing their laps. Leon was watching them, seeing Haytham looking around for Arthur, slowing down his running.

"That's an extra 2 for you Haytham!" Leon called over, raising an eyebrow at the boy who sighed again before continuing with his laps.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morgana smiled as she walked around the markets, with Gwen by her side. They looked at fabrics for a new dress that she wanted to be able to wear for an upcoming feast that was to be held in honor of some Prince who was planning a visit in a few months time.

"How about this?" Gwen said, holding up some velvet red fabric. "It would go nice with the design." Gwen loved making new dresses, it was the thing she enjoyed most about her job.

"I already have loads of red dresses. I guess that's what happens when it's the royal colour." She sighed, picking up another piece. "It's so easy for Arthur and my father. They just have to wear their armour whereas I have to have a new dress for every occasion. Don't get me wrong, I love all my dresses, but it gets a little tedious."

"It's a Princess' duty I suppose." Gwen smiled softly to her. "How about this blue?" She suggested.

"It's beautiful." Morgana took the sample from her examining it. "You know one day we really need to get Merlyn into a dress for an occasion."

"That will be a sight." Gwen laughed. "Come on, let's get this and get started." Morgana paid for a roll of the fabric and smiled kindly at the woman who owned the stall. "Do you mind if I just go and get something from that stall over there?" Gwen asked.

"Sure." Morgana assured her as she waited for the fabric to be packed for her. She watched as Gwen headed away before she looked around to people watch for a moment.

Her eyes landed across the market. A woman stood by the shadows, looking directly at her. _"Morgana.."_ She gasped in shock, quickly looking around to see if anyone else had heard the sound. She looked back over towards the edge, only to find that no one was there. Had she imagined it?

"Morgana?" She jumped out of her skin, clutching her chest as she spun to find Gwen stood beside her. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine. I was off in my own world." She concluded, letting her heart settle down. "Got everything you need?" Gwen nodded, as the stall owner handed Morgana the bag of fabric over. "Let's go." She smiled, ignoring the feeling she was being watched.

They headed back towards the castle, but not after Morgana did another quick search of the area, seeing nothing.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn was riding her horse in silence as they made their way down a road through the forest. It would take the two of them the full day to get to where the location of where the sighting of the bandits was. They could only take their horses so far before having to leave them.

Since they had left Camelot, they had been riding in silence, despite Arthur's best efforts. "Are you going to ignore me this whole journey?" Arthur questioned as Merlyn's horse went a little in front of his.

"Are you going to stop being an ass?" She responded.

Arthur sighed. "Look, I've said sorry! I didn't mean say it, it just slipped out!"

"Yeah well next time don't expect me not to use the dress story." Merlyn smirked back as they continued riding.

"Why are you friends with my sister again?" Arthur groaned as he cursed Morgana.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morgana sat at the large table in the great hall. Dinners without Arthur were never fun, especially when the council were invited. She sat bored out of her mind, only with Gwen filling up her goblet. She heard some of the council members drivel on about some nonsense or other that she really wasn't interested in.

"_Morgana.."_ She gasped, hearing the voice once more in her head.

"Morgana? Are you alright?" Uther asked his daughter concerned when he heard her gasp.

"Sorry, just got a sudden headache." She quickly made up an excuse. "I think I may need some fresh air. Uther nodded before she stood up and quickly left the hall. Gwen went to follow her, but she shook her head, wanting to be alone.

-x-x-x-x-x-

They came to the edge of the forest, and spotted a small village in the distance. Quickly deciding that it would be a good place to stop for a break and also to keep their horses since they had to carry on by foot, they headed down the hill and into the village. Arthur paid the stable master to look after their horses over night before they headed towards the tavern.

Opening the door to the tavern, Arthur quickly ducked as a glass headed in his direction and smashed on the wooden beam beside him. Merlyn took a look around the room and saw several men fighting one another, some taking cover from flying objects and other just stood by and watched. Rolling her eyes, she took a step further into the room.

Everyone stopped silent as a loud whistle echoed around the place. All heads turned to face Merlyn who had her hands on her hips, glaring at them all. "Who started this?" She demanded.

One man, clearly very drunk, shrugged off the man who was currently trying to lay into him, and stumbled his way towards the door. "Well, hello there little lady." He slurred. He yelled in the next moment as Merlyn caught him by the ear and dragged his drunken ass outside. Dropping to the ground he started giggling. "You're sexy when you are angry."

Arthur stood leaning against the door jar, rolling his eyes at the stupidity of this guy. The guy stumbles to his feet before advancing on Merlyn again. Arthur watched in amusement as the man tried to fight her. The guy hardly put up a fight before Merlyn had had enough, making him fall into a trough that was meant for horses.

"I want a drink." Merlyn grumbled as they walked back into the bar. Tables and chairs were back up in the right places, and everyone seemed to have calmed down now, sitting down and going back to the way it was before. Sitting at the bar, Arthur ordered them two beers.

"Thank you." The barmaid smiled at them as she handed over the beers. "They are on the house."

"So who was that guy?" Arthur asked.

"Who Gwaine? He's a regular and likes to rub people up the wrong way. Nothing unusual." She told them before wandering off to clean a table.

"Which way are we heading?" Merlyn asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"To the north. The forest is too dense to take the horses, hence why we are leaving them here." He explained. "Come on, drink up. We need to get going if we want to cover a lot of ground before nightfall."

The two quickly left the tavern and collected their saddlebags from the horses before heading over towards the path into the forest. On their way past, Arthur spotted Gwanie still in the water trough, snoring asleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morgana sat in the gardens that were her mother's pride and joy when she was alive. She didn't remember her, only being a small babe when she had passed, but being here always made her feel closer to her.

A noise from behind caught her attention. Turning her head she saw Leon walking towards her.

"Princess, are you alright?" He asked as he came to sit beside her.

Morgana gave him a soft smile. "I am fine."

He contemplated her for a moment, not sure if he really believed her or not. "Morgana.. If something is troubling you.."

"I promise I would tell you." She assured him. "I just needed some time alone."

"I have to get back to the Knights." He whispered after a few minutes. "If you need anything.."

"Leon.." She laughed a little. Leon was almost as overprotective as her brother. He smiled before standing and heading out of the gardens, leaving her alone.

She watched as he left and smiled. Closing her eyes, she listened to the sounds of nature passing around her. She always felt at peace in her mother's gardens, like it brought them closer together. She remembered the times that she used to run away from the castle but Arthur would always find her here. It wasn't to say that Uther was a bad father, but Arthur had always been the one there for her. When she had nightmares it was Arthur she ran to, or whenever she managed to hurt herself, it was him that she cried to. Sure they had their arguments over the years, and even didn't speak to each other for a day or two, but they would always be there for each other.

"He will never understand who you are." Gasping and spinning around she saw the woman from this morning stood only metres away from her.

"Who are you?" She asked, standing, taking a few steps back. "What do you want?"

"Who I am does not matter." The woman said. Her hair was long blonde, resting it light curls on her chest. Her cloak was wrapped around her as her blue eyes bore into Morgana's own. "It is you who denies your true self."

"What are you talking about?" Morgana was more confused than ever.

"_You are one of us, Morgana."_ The voice in her head spoke.

"How.. how did you do that?" She asked in a panic.

"There are many things that I can do." The woman told her. "Just as you can." Her eyes turned gold as air sped up around them.

"Sorceress.." Morgana's voice quivered in fear.

"Just as you are." She responded when her eyes turned back to normal.

"I don't have magic." Morgana insisted.

"You've never doubted things that have happened around you? You've never felt some sort of connection when you've watched our kin being slaughtered? You've never wished for something and then it has come true?" The woman asked. "I can feel your magic pulsing through your veins."

"Who are you? Why are you telling me this?" Morgana took another step backwards, wanting to get away from this woman.

"I am Morgause. I am here to teach you to embrace your powers, to become the witch you were truly meant to be." The blonde told her.

"Leave me alone! I am no witch!" She turned and began to run towards the exit of the gardens, only to come to a halt when Morgause blocked her way.

"You may deny it all you like, but the time will come when you can deny it no longer. When that day comes, I will be waiting." In a whirlwind, the woman disappeared. Morgana stood in shock at the place that the other woman had once been.

Could it be true?

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Tell me again why it just had to be the two of us?" Merlyn asked as they walked in single file.

"Orders from the King." Arthur simply stated. "If half a company of men stormed through the forest, it would make them scatter before we even got close. The two of us can get close and sneak up on them." Arthur continued to speak to her and drivelled on about something when something else caught her attention.

Despite Arthur's voice filling the air, she heard something that she dreaded. Her blood ran cold almost in fear. It was only quiet, but the whistle told her everything that she needed to know. She froze on the spot, eyes scouring the trees. Arthur noticed she was no longer walking. Stopping he turned to look at her. "Merlyn?" He question, taking a few steps back towards her. "What is it?"

She silently counted._ "One.. Two.. Three.." _Eyes flickering between figures hidden away in the shadows. Arthur glanced around seeing nothing. _"Twelve.. Thirteen.. Fourteen.."_

"Merlyn?" He asked again.

"Arthur.." Her eyes flickered to his. He could see fear in her eyes. "Run back the way we came and don't look back." She whispered.

"What?" He questioned. "What's going on?"

"Yes, Merlyn. Do tell our young Prince here what is going on." Arthur spun around to see a man, dark tanned skin stepping out of the trees, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Who are you?" Arthur questioned, eyes glancing around as the others made their presence known. They were completely surrounded.

"Now, now, Merlyn, there's no need for that." Helios cooed as Merlyn moved to take her swords out, hand on the hilt.

A prick in the side of her neck, made her hand quickly move there. She removed the little dart and looked down at it just as Arthur fell to the ground unconscious. Her vision went blurry before she too fell to the ground. The world went black.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Morgana? Are you alright?" Gwen asked as she finished putting some things away in her mistress' chambers. "You have been quiet all night and look a little pale." Gwen was concerned at the Princess' behavior.

"I am a little tired." Morgana explained. "I will retire early for the night."

"Is there anything that I can get you?" Gwen asked her.

"That will be all Gwen." Morgana dismissed her.

Once she was alone to her thoughts, she began to sob. Was she telling the truth? She had been going over everything that she classified as being weird in the past few years.

There were the nightmares, some which had started coming true. A sleeping draught had put a stop to those. There had been times when things had moved around her chambers from where she had left them or even the time when she was young when she found a injured rabbit. It had looked like it was near death, but moments later it was up and hopping around like it had never happened.

Each time something happened, she put it down as being weird, never thinking anything of it. Did she really have magic? No surely not. Her father would never hear of such things. If she had magic, she would have known about it.

Turning over in the bed, she grabbed the vial of sleeping draught from the side and downed it. Darkness overcame her in a dreamless sleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please Review! x**


	12. Chapter 11: Shadow Empire

_A/N - So I'm uploading this now since I have internet.. It's been dodgy for the past couple of weeks so just warning that it may not be my fault if I miss an update.. Hopefully it will be fixed soon anyway :).. This chapter is twice as long as normal because it does have half the previous chapter in as well before I decided to change it.. As always, thanks for the reviews and enjoy! x_

-x-x-x-x-x

**Chapter 11 – Shadow Empire**

The ground was hard against his back as Arthur came too. Taking a minute to remember what happened, he sat up and shifted himself to the wall of the cell that he was currently locked in. Looking around, he didn't see Merlyn. Worry for her quickly took over his senses. Where were they? Who took them? What happened? A long while went by, and he didn't see or hear anyone. Where was Merlyn?

Footsteps caught his attention as he saw the man from earlier come towards the cell, with guards around him dragging Merlyn behind them. He looked over her quickly and from what he could tell, she was fine. She had a split lip, and was void of all her weapons, but otherwise she was in near perfect health.

The door of the cell was unlocked, and she was shoved in, falling to the ground. He quickly hurried over to her to make sure that she was all right as the door slammed and locked in place. Merlyn scrambled back away from the bars a little before sitting and glaring up at the people outside.

"Aww, isn't that sweet lads. He's worried about her." Arthur looked up and glared at the man.

"Who are you, and what do you want with us?" He growled.

"You know who I am. I am Helios, the Barbarian King." The man stood up tall as he smirked at his prisoners. "Actually, I am surprised that you don't know more about me. Here I was under the illusion that you somehow had managed to convert one of my best assassins."

"What are you talking about?" Arthur asked confused. "Anyone you have ever sent it dead. Who was this so called assassin?"

"Let me tell you a story." Helios sat on a stool outside of the cell. Merlyn slid over to the side of the room, away from the cell bars and from Arthur, who was much more interested in what Helios had to say now. "Several months ago, I was tasked to infiltrate Camelot and kill their beloved Prince. So as I was told, I sent my best recruit to do the job. It was supposed to be the grand finale to the Festival of the Great Purge." He stood and began to pace. "As you know, that didn't quite happen."

"That man died." Arthur growled, still remembering the first attempt on his life. It had been the day that Merlyn crashed into his life and he would surely be dead if it hadn't been for her.

"Oh no. You, dear Prince, are mistaken. Simon wasn't the one I am talking about, am I Merlyn." Helios looked her in the eyes. Arthur's heart stopped, his face paled. He turned towards her and saw that the woman in question had moved away from her position beside him. She was leaning against the cell wall. She refused to look at him, keeping her focus on the other man, glaring up at the man outside their cell. "You see, Simon was the backup in case my little assassin here couldn't do the job. As you know, instead of killing you, she decided to save you."

"Merlyn?" Arthur willed her to look at him. He wanted her to tell him that it was a lie; it was all just some big mistake. She refused to meet his eyes.

"Did she forget to mention that?" Helios smirked. "The only reason she was in Camelot was to slit your throat and watch you die." He glanced between the two of them. "Nothing to say Merlyn? Don't want to have your first honest conversation with your beloved Prince." He laughed. "Well, I guess the two of you have things to talk about." With that, he and the rest of the guards left them alone.

Arthur moved away and sat back in his position leaning against the opposite wall. He didn't move his eyes from her, watching her every move. She remained in silence as she leant against the wall at the other side of the cell, looking anywhere but at him.

-x-x-x-x-x-

They sat in silence for a long time. Darkness was beginning to fall, and the cold was setting in. Merlyn could feel his eyes on her again as hers were closed, resting her head back against the wall. How could she be so stupid as to walk straight into their trap? She should have been paying more attention. She should have known when Arthur had mentioned that they were travelling North that it was where Helios and his men would be.

"Is it true?" His voice broke the silence. He knew that she wasn't sleeping. Everything in his mind was spinning. He hoped that it wasn't true, but he had to know. Everything he thought he knew about her was a lie. Thinking back on the time of the Festival, he remembered the weird feelings that he had. It was her. She was watching him, preparing to strike.

Opening her eyes, she finally met his. "Yes."

"Why? Why did you save me?" His face was hardened, cold. This wasn't the Arthur that she knew. But who could blame him. She betrayed him.

"Things changed."

"Was anything that you told me the truth? Your parents?" He snapped. "Or were they just all lies to try to make me feel sorry for you and to trust you."

"I didn't lie. I just didn't tell you my true reason for being in Camelot." She argued.

"That's just as good as lying." He concluded.

They fell back into silence, waiting for the next time that Helios would make his presence known.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_Clashes sounded through the courtyard, grunts of pain and heavy breathing vibrated from the walls in the grounds of the forgotten castle, which lay deep in the forest near the northern plains. It had been inhabited for decades, and was still believed to be so by the populace. _

_She fought. Swinging her arms towards her opponent, ducking and weaving in between their shots. Crossing over her two short swords, she blocked an attack before successfully disarming her sparing partner. Bringing the tip of one of the blades to his neck as he lay on the ground beneath her. The yard was fairly big in size, with dummies set up in one of the corners, archery targets along one of the walls and fighters sparring each other in the center._

"_Looks like someone had a rough night." She heard someone near her as she took a deep breath, stepping back to allow the man, whose name she didn't know, get up and collect his weapons. She was known to be the best fighter in their league, having beaten all the other members, even those with far more experience than she. She could kill a man with a stick if needed, but many of them knew not to cross her, especially after what seemed to be a rough night, or at least more than usual. Despite them believing in the same thing, and training together since a young age, she never fit in. She was always the outsider, but that's the way she liked it. Having friends meant having casualties, a weakness. _

"_Again." She told him, not even breaking a sweat as she twirled the two short swords, her weapon of choice, around in her hands, getting into an offensive stance._

_The man got to his feet, collecting his own two short swords before he shook his head. "Not a chance." He told her, turning to walk away, breathing heavily from their encounter._

_Sighing, she looked around the courtyard to see many of the occupants looking at her, many of them looking away as soon as she looked in their direction to avoid eye contact. No one wanted to spar with her. In the past week, one of her opponents broke his arm, another received a lengthy cut to his torso and another was suffering from a concussion._

"_Aww, Merlyn, do you really have to scare away all of your sparing partners? Soon no one will be willing to practice with you." She heard a smug voice from over her left shoulder._

_Gritting her teeth, she spun the swords around in her hands before walking over to where their was a dummy set up in the courtyard. "Get lost, Mordred." She growled._

_Mordred was a few months younger than her and had been here longer than she had. They were rivals, bitter ones at that. He hated that she came in and suddenly he wasn't the best anymore. He was an excellent fighter, he had magic and everyone knew about it. She didn't tell anyone of her gifts, not even Helios. Her father's final words ran through her mind._

"_Aww, no love for me today? Oh well, I was about to offer my services seeing as you have no friends and you really are irritable after being up all night, cowering under your blankets 'cause there's a bit of rain. You know…" He started taunting her, but quickly had to draw his weapons to defend as Merlyn spun and came at him in a rush of fury, blades flying. Mordred had always been her rival since she arrived. They had basically grown up hating each other. He was always so cocky, thinking he was the best, but she still beat him. Their trainers had kept them apart for most of their training due to the fact that when they fought, they really wanted to kill each other._

"_Merlyn!" She heard a booming voice calling from up the stairs of the castle, silencing the training ground. She withdrew her attack as Mordred's blades were crossing in defense. She gave Mordred a shove for good measure away from her, making him fall to the ground. She glared at him before turning to see their leader nodding towards the castle, and she followed obediently._

_Mordred had gotten to his feet by the time she was half way up the stairs, glaring at her retreating back. He glanced around at the audience that they had attracted who just looked between the two. "What are you all looking at? Get back to training." He shouted at them, before stalking off into the shadows, to lick his wounds._

-x-x-x-x-x-

_Walking into the castle, which had in most recent times had become her home; she followed the muscular man into what would have once been the great hall. The castle was run down due to the lack of people living there, but it worked for them and their purpose. It kept them off the radar and who would go to an old abandoned castle unless there was reason to._

_"You know he is looking for a reaction out of you and you give it him every time." The man, with a tanned complexion warned her._

"_You know I can beat him with my eyes closed, Helios." She muttered, falling in step behind him. She hated being scolded like a child, but she knew that this was not one of these times._

"_That may be so, but in the last week you have gone through half of the soldiers here, wounding many of them and by the way you were going, Mordred was looking like he was going to be the next victim." Helios turned to her as they came to the long dining table in the hall. _

"_Mordred is an ass and he always has been." She grumbled. "What am I even still doing here? You know I am by far the best fighter, and you won't let me do what you trained me to do." She began to argue. She dropped her swords to the table before slumping down into one of the chairs nearby._

"_I know you are frustrated. Despite what you may think, we have to time everything to perfection. I needed to know that you were ready before I let you loose." He scolded her. "You are easily provoked, as you have just proven and I can not risk you getting distracted from the job."_

"_You know I'm ready." She growled at him. "I've done everything you've asked. I'm by far the best in this place, and you know it. I can keep my cool when needed, and Mordred does it on purpose because he is irritated that he has yet to beat me in a fair fight."_

"_He has beaten you before." He pointed out. "You just have different skill sets."_

"_I said fair fight. The only time he beat me was because he used magic." She argued._

"_As I said, you have different skill sets. Magic is not something that we all have or can practice." Helios reminded her. "If you had it, then you would use it to advance as he has. You may well be the best assassin and skilled fighter here, but that doesn't mean you are ready." Helios warned her. _

_She slumped back in her chair. She was sick of hearing about Mordred. Yes, he had magic, but so did she. Unlike Mordred though, she had never told them. She didn't want to have it used against her. She had seen first hand what happened when people knew of her gifts. The night of her parents' death flashed through her mind. Having grown up having to hide her gifts, she kept it to herself. The less people that knew, the safer she would be. Someone could easily betray them, putting her in even more danger than she already was._

"_As much as I love having a lecture telling me to play nice with Mordred, does this discussion have any other point?" She asked, wanting to get out as soon as she could. She couldn't bare to be trapped in this castle any longer, and if fighting to get rid of her frustrations wasn't going to work, she needed to get out._

"_Yes, it does. As I said before, everything we do is planned and timed. As it happens, your skills are needed." Her eyes flashed back to Helios, who was still stood by the side of the table. "As you know, the King of Camelot has purged this land for far too long, and this week he has a festival of the anniversary of the Great Purge. What better time to get information and begin our takedown?" He smirked._

"_What does this have to do with me?" She asked._

"_I know your hatred of Uther after what he did to you. I am tasking you with striking the first blow." He explained. "We want you to go to Camelot. There will be many new people in and around the castle helping set up the.. festivities. Collect any information you can about Uther's plans, his allies and even his enemies."_

"_Why not just kill him and be done with it?" She queried. "I don't understand why you want me to go if I'm just collecting information. Any one of those outside could do that." She told him._

"_Killing him would be too easy. It would plunge the Kingdom into chaos and his armies would come after us. No, we need to take him apart piece by piece. Destroy everything he has worked so hard to build. Make him feel the pain he has caused us… and then we will kill him." The look in his eyes told her that he had been planning this for some time. She had seen how efficient his plans had been in the past._

"_Why me?" She asked once again. "Don't get me wrong, taking Uther down is the only reason I agreed to join, but information gathering? That's not me."_

"_You are stealthy. You can get in and out without anyone knowing. We want you to get close, as close to the inner circle as you can get. Let them have their festival… But by the weeks end, their beloved Prince will be dead." He smirked his evil grin._

"_You want me to kill him." She stated. "How would you like it done?" She asked._

"_It is up to you."_

"_When do I leave?" She asked, standing from the chair, collecting her swords from the table. She figured this would help her frustrations if nothing else._

"_As soon as you can. Remember Merlyn, if you fail or are discovered, no one will be there to bail you out. If you accept this, you are on your own." He warned her._

"_I won't fail." She swore before turning and leaving the hall._

-x-x-x-x-x-

"I'm sorry." Her voice was quiet in the darkness. The temperature had dropped and the sun had completely left the sky. He heard her quiet voice and his heart broke a little. "I'm sorry I lied to you. I'm sorry that I came to kill you. I'm sorry.." He couldn't see her and he knew that she couldn't see him. Maybe that was the reason that she allowed herself to break.

"Merlyn.." He sighed, but was quickly cut off by her voice.

"No, let me say this." He heard her take a deep breath, presuming she was wiping away her tears. "When my parent's died, I was alone. I had nothing and no one. My father's friend looked after me for a while, but it was too hard so I ran." She paused a moment before continuing. "I survived by stealing and robbing, until I tried to steal from Helios. He caught me, but he gave me a chance. He told me he could train me and help me find the revenge that I needed, so I went with him. I was fourteen when he recruited me, and I trained every single day since. He helped me find out whose army the soldier's who attacked my village were from, who I needed to get revenge on."

"Did you find out?" He asked.

"Yes." Moonlight filtered in as a cloud passed over the crescent moon through the bars from outside, and lit up the room slightly. He could see the tear tracks down her cheeks as their eyes met across the room.

"Who?" He asked.

"It doesn't matter."

"Merlyn, tell me." He demanded. He was angry.

"Your father."

He wanted to laugh, thinking that she was joking, but the look on her face told him that this was anything but a joke. "You're lying. He wouldn't just attack a defenseless village."

"I checked the records. There was nothing saying that the village was attacked. But they were his men, they wore his crest whether they were sent by him or not."

"That's why you accepted the job to kill me. To get revenge on my father." He watched as she nodded, almost guiltily. "Why didn't you go through with it?"

"Things changed when I arrived in Camelot.." She began to explain.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_She stood on the top of the hill, covered by the tree line of the forest as the rain poured down. Using her magic, she focused in on the castle, and spotted her target. The Prince was stood looking out over the city as the lights were being extinguished for the night. She waited until he walked away from the window before she began her decent to the castle walls._

_The guards were talking, not paying attention as she slipped by, and into the city walls. Sticking to the shadows, she avoided the lights that hadn't gone out and disappeared into the tunnels beneath the castle._

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

_She watched from the shadows as the Prince of Camelot came out of the castle and began to shout orders to his Knight recruits. After a few minutes, he looked around. She didn't panic, she knew that he couldn't see her._

_She watched as the Knights came out and the recruits dispersed. Arthur made them all pair up. She watched as he began to spar with a blonde haired Knight. She noted his fighting, and she didn't want to admit that he was better than she thought he would be._

_The practice finished and she saw him glance around again before he headed off inside the castle once more._

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

_The courtyard of the castle was packed with people. The Knights were lined against the walls, watching over them all. She watched from above from an empty room in a tower over looking the courtyard. Arthur was right in the middle of her sight. It would be so easy to use her bow to pierce his heart right here and now, but it wasn't the right time._

_Her heartbeat faster as the King stepped out into the yard, beginning his speech opening the festival. Her hand clutched a throwing dagger, but she calmed down enough not to lose it. Her eyes stayed glued on Arthur as the man was killed as a display to other magic users. _

"_When I became ruler to this land, this kingdom was mired in chaos, but with the people's help magic was driven from the realm. So I declare a festival to celebrate twenty years since Camelot freed from the evil of sorcery. Let the celebrations begin." He announced joyously from the steps. __He opened the festival as if the death of the man was a good thing. This was the man she hated._

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

_Darkness fell over the castle once more. She snuck easily around the castle and found herself in the Prince's rooms. Searching his drawers, she looked for any papers that would be found useful. Finding something, she took out a blank journal. With a quiet spell, the information copied onto the page of the book before the ink disappeared._

_Hearing footsteps, she slipped into the shadows and into the room attached, shutting it gently just as the room of the chamber opened. She heard shuffling before voices sounded._

"_Do you need anything else, my Lord?" "That will be all Morris." More shuffling before the lights of the chamber went out. She waited a while before silently opening the door once more. Glaring into the darkness, she could see the outline of the Prince underneath the sheets as he slept. His hand under the pillow as his arm flexed in his sleep._

_Hand on her dagger, she took a step closer to him. She could so easily slit his throat and be done with it, but something inside her stopped her. She was stood at the bottom of his bed when she heard a voice in her head. "Merlyn.. Merlyn.." Stepping back, nearly in panic, she fled the room._

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

_The corridors were silent as she made her way back to tunnels. She reached a corner and quickly ducked into an alcove as she heard guards' footsteps coming towards her. Waiting behind the tapestry that was covering the space, she felt a pull of magic that she hadn't felt before._

"_Merlyn.." The voice projected into her mind again. Turning around, she found that instead of a brick wall behind her as she was expecting, was a wooden door. Curious, she waited until the guards had left before unlocking the door with her magic before opening it._

_The hinges squeaked, telling how much time had passed since the last person had been through the door. Picking up a torch from the wall of the tunnel, she cast a spell making it come alight. Shutting the door, she headed down the tunnel that was before her. Walking, with one hand on her dagger, she heard her footsteps echoing off the walls. The magic was getting stronger as she continued down. It made her nervous, just imagining what could have this much magical power. The tunnels lead out into a large cave. She stepped out onto a ledge as she looked around. _

_The flapping of wings caught her attention and she took a step back as a huge dragon landed on an island in front of her. Her eyes widened, almost wanting to run._

"_Ahh young sorceress. I have waited a long time to meet you." The dragon told her. "It seems that your path has deviated from what was meant to be."_

"_What are you talking about?" She asked nervously eyeing up the creature. Her eyes had spotted the chain around the dragon's neck that kept it chained to the walls._

"_No matter. You're destiny will always remain the same, young sorceress." He ignored her question and continued to scrutinize her. "Your magic is strong but not yet tamed, however you have other skills which can be used. Your heart is filled with anger and pain. You have seen much suffering, but your heart remains pure, despite what you might believe."_

"_Can you stop talking in riddles and just tell me why I am here? Why did you call me here?" She asked, gaining confidence as she spoke._

"_They are not riddles, my dear. It is what has been and what will come." He told her. "Your destiny lies in Camelot."_

"_Killing the Pendragons is my destiny."_

_The dragon laughed. "How wrong you are young witch. You have suffered at the hands of Uther as have we all, but killing him will not stop the pain, nor will it bring back those you hold dear. Your Father was a great friend and master, as I know you will be." He told her. "Your destiny is not the destruction of the Pendragons, but the rebuilding of them. It is you that will help the once and future King and reunite these lands and all her people."_

"_You've got it wrong. I will not help the King, not after what he's done." Merlyn argued._

"_It is not Uther that I speak of. His time will come and go, young witch. You have the power to change everything." He spoke._

"_Will you just talk to me straight!" She demanded._

"_Arthur is the Once and Future King who will unite the lands of Albion. Your destiny is intertwined with his. You will help him become the greatest King this land has ever known, uniting the lands and bringing peace between those with magic, and those without." He stated._

"_Arthur? Arthur Pendragon? There is no way and I for one will not be helping him." She told him. "By the end of the week, he will be dead. I will be the one to kill him."_

_The dragon once again laughed. "Without you, Arthur will never succeed. You are his protector and without you, this land will be plagued with war and suffering. None of us can choose our destinies and none of us can escape them. You may believe that you will be the one to kill him, but when the time comes, you will not be able to go through with it." Her face fell, almost looking guilty which the dragon caught. "As I may guess that you have already tried, and found yourself questioning your loyalties."_

"_You've been stuck down here too long." She countered. "I don't care what happens to Camelot. Uther signed his death warrant when he sent those men to my village. I know where my loyalties lie."_

"_Have you ever thought that while the men that killed your friends and family wore the crest of Camelot, that perhaps it was not the King that had sent them?" He asked. She didn't answer him, so he continued. "There is no right and wrong, only what is and what isn't."_

"_Back to the riddles." She muttered._

_The dragon just chuckled, raising its wings. "I will be seeing you soon, young sorceress." He laughed as he flew from the rock._

"_Wait!" She called after it, but soon he was gone._

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

_The next day, she thought about what the dragon had said. Could she be wrong over Uther sending those men? It didn't matter. She had a job to do._

_After dark, she moved once more. Uther's office was four floors up. Sneaking into his office was easy, only she didn't expect him to come in. At the other end of the corridor she heard his voice with one of his councilors. She heard the footsteps coming closer and hid in the rafters, like a bird, out of sight. Whispering a spell, the door locked again._

_She heard the click of the lock open and in walked Uther and the other man. They stayed talking for a while as Uther looked over documents. Merlyn read them from above as he did so. Anything important, her eyes turned gold and it was copied into her journal beside her. It took a long time, but Uther eventually decided that it was enough for one night. He left the room, locking it behind him._

_She dropped from the wooden beams, and began to rummage through the room. She found various maps and letters. Footsteps caught her attention. They stopped not too far from the door. They began to make their way to the door. She had to think quickly. She didn't have time to get back up to the rafters. The window was her only chance._

_Opening the window and climbing out of it just as the door opened. She clung to the bricks, praying that she could hold on and whoever it was didn't check out the window. She heard the person walk around the room and to the window. She heard a sigh, confirming her suspicions that it was Arthur before he closed and locked the window. Closing her eyes, she held on for dear life until she was sure that he had left the room._

_Whispering a spell, the window unlocked and flung open before she climbed back up. Once inside, she sat on the floor, catching her breathe leaning against the wall underneath the window before standing and closing it. Finishing her search of the office, she left, making sure to lock the door behind her._

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

_She spotted Arthur a few times when he was walking through the castle, on his way to the performance of Lady Helena. There were too many people for her to be in the room. But she kept a close eye on things. That night she went back down to where the dragon was, but he wasn't coming to talk to her._

_She could have killed him so easily on many occasions, but she remembered what Helios told her. The finale of the festival was when she was meant to make her strike. That was why she couldn't do it, she had to wait for the right moment._

_The morning of the tournament came. She stood in the center of the market place. Very few people were around, they were all in the arena ready for the Knights to appear. She stood there, in her full armor and weapons looking up at the training fields that currently held the Prince, swinging at a dummy. He felt her stare she knew it. He stopped and turned and looked around. He saw her. Their eyes met. Other Knights began to appear, and as a group of people walked past, she took her exit._

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

_Knights fought against each other until there was only Arthur and one other Knight left. She stalked in the crowds, no one paying her much notice despite her weapons and armor. They were all focused on the contest in front of them._

_Arthur and whoever the other Knight were currently battling it out. She knew from the beginning that Arthur would win it. She had seen him practicing. She looked around for a better vantage point, somewhere she could quickly escape from once the deed was done. She knew exactly where to strike from. Making her way down to where the shadows of the arch where the Knights came in, she waited._

_The final was over, and Arthur won. Something across the arena caught her attention. A flash of a blade being drawn. Looking at the man, she knew him. He was one of Helios'. Her brain switched off, and she went into automatic mode. The glint of the dagger stayed in her focus as she channeled out all the cheering before making her way into the arena._

_She shoved Arthur, making him fall to the ground as she quickly dodged the dagger flying at her by dropping to one knee. Time slowed down as she grabbed the handle of the dagger and threw it back at full force at the very man who had thrown it._

_Panic flooded through the crowd, as well as her. She had done the exact opposite of what she was meant to do. Instinct took over to protect him when she saw the other assassin about to kill him. Arthur looked at her in shock, recognition showing on his face as Uther addressed her._

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

_Making her way down to the dragon's lair, she cursed herself. The dragon was right about one thing, something that she didn't know made her protect Arthur. Uther had offered her a reward, but she refused. Arthur had thanked her, but she brushed him off. Gaius, the uncle she had forgotten that she had let alone remembering that he lived in Camelot refused to let her stay anywhere other than with him._

"_You were right!" She shouted into the cavern. A rumbling laugh echoed throughout the caves before the flap of wings._

_The dragon landed on its perch at the other side of the cave. "You have admitted your destiny then." The dragon stated._

"_I haven't admitted anything. I may still kill them, but I am not going to be anyone's puppet anymore." She growled._

"_Do not let hate take over your heart, young witch. You may think you are alone, but you will soon learn the true meaning of loyalty."_

"_You said before that Uther didn't send the men to my village. If he didn't, then who did?" She asked._

"_A time will come when you will get the answers that you seek, but for now, you will find where you belong." With that, the dragon flew off again._

-x-x-x-x-x-

".. I could have killed you during your morning training session the day of the beginning of the festival, during Uther's opening speech and the execution, that night while you were sleeping, the next night in Uther's office, around the castle. Even in the morning when you saw me before the tournament. I could have done it at any time, but something stopped me from doing it." She admitted. She couldn't tell him about the magic or the dragon.

"Why did you save me at the end of the tournament?" Arthur asked.

"Honestly, I don't know." She sighed. "Someone told me it was my destiny to protect you. When I saw the guy with the dagger, something just kicked in and I did it without thinking."

Silence overcame them for a short while as Arthur began to process everything that she had told him. Something was still plaguing him about her story.

"You said that it wasn't my father who sent those men, but you now know who it was?"

She nodded. "I didn't know who until I came to Camelot. The man who sent them, who lead them and who killed my father."

"Is he alive?" Arthur asked.

"Yes." She confirmed, coldness creeping into her voice.

"You've known all this time, and you never told me. Not even after you told me about the whole thing. Did you know who it was before you told me?" She nodded. "So you lied to me."

"I lied to protect you. All I have ever done since I've been in Camelot is protect you. I may have arrived with different intentions, but there isn't anything that I wouldn't do to make sure that you become the King you are destined to be." Her tears were long gone now, determination filling her voice.

"Who is it?" He demanded her to know. When she didn't answer, he felt his anger reappear. "Merlyn tell me who it is. Who killed your parents and betrayed my Kingdom?"

They stared off for a moment, before she gave in. "Agravaine."

"No." He muttered. "No, you're lying."

"Please listen to me." When she got no reply she continued. "What I told you was true, about my life before only it was your father's men who attacked the village, and it was Agravaine who carried out those orders."

"So it was about revenge." He simply stated. "All this time was about vengeance."

"No!" She shifted until she was beside him, ignoring his look of betrayl. "Vengeance is what brought me to Camelot, but what made me stay was you." He stayed silent. "Arthur, protecting and serving you basically saved my life. It gave me meaning, a home and something that I hadn't had in a long time, a family. Despite our fighting and argument or both of our stubbornness's, you've managed to get further than anyone ever has, probably without even realizing it. You are my best friend, Arthur, and I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you."

Footsteps made their way down the corridors before he could even begin to process what she just said. The door of the cell flung open, and the guards dragged Merlyn up. Arthur got to his feet, but was shoved back away when he tried to get to her. The door slammed back into place as Merlyn was dragged away from him.

_Agravaine_

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn was shoved into the great hall, the very place Helios had tasked her to kill Arthur.

"There you are." He looked up from his papers on the desk as she was shoved to the floor in front of him. "Tell me, have you changed your mind?" He asked simply. "Now your little Prince doesn't want anything to do with a traitor."

"I would rather die than join you again." She hissed.

He chuckled quietly. "Still as strong headed and stubborn as ever. At least some things don't change." He began to pace in front of her. "I made you who you are and this is the thanks that I get." Coming to a stop in front of her, he crouched down until he was at her level. Grabbing her chin, he made her look at him. "You would really die along side the Prince of a Kingdom who destroyed your life than to come back to me?"

"Arthur is not his father. I would die for him." She spat at him.

Standing to his full height, he sighed. "Such a shame." He signaled for the guards to take her away again.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Nearly back at the cell, She looked around for anything that could help them escape. Looking to the guard in front of her, she saw the keys in his hand for the cell. Glancing down, she noticed a similar set of keys on the guard who had hold of her arm.

Taking a chance, she turned and fell into the guard beside her, hand wrapping around the keys and getting them free, hiding them up her sleeve as quickly as she could. The guard shoved her away from him, pushing her to the floor. He kicked her a couple of times, hard.

Arthur was up like a shot in the cell, barely able to watch as protectiveness overtook his anger. "Hey!" He shouted, feeling useless as she cried out in pain.

The guard stopped and dragged her up by her hair. The other guard opened the cell door and she was thrown in. Her head cracked against the stone floor and she was out cold. Arthur was by her side in a second, lifting her into his lap. "Merlyn!"

"Bitch." He heard the guard mutter as they walked back down the corridor.

Arthur checked her head. He could feel a bruise already coming out from where her skull and the floor made contact. He quickly checked where the guy was kicking her, making sure none of the ribs were broken which could cause so much more damage. Thankfully, she was still wearing her armor, taking away some of the blow. It would still hurt, but not as bad as it could have been.

"Merlyn.." He lightly tapped her face a couple of times to get her to come around. "Merlyn.." Sighing when he couldn't get anything out of her, he moved so that he was leaning against the wall again, with her head in his lap.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Her head was throbbing. She groaned as she felt something gently stroking her head. Blinking a couple of times, it was still dark. Her vision was blurred, but it was starting to focus. Attempting to sit up, something, or rather someone stopped her.

"Don't move. You might still be dizzy." Arthur.

"What happened?" She asked, bringing her hand up to her head where the bump was forming.

"You decided to try to play hero. Guy kept kicking you before he threw you in here and you cracked your head on the stone." He explained. "What did Helios want?"

Slowly sitting up, with Arthur's help, she sat beside him leaning against the wall and his shoulder. "Wanting to know if I changed my mind about joining him again. Told him I'd rather die." She smiled a little before remembering something. Retrieving the keys from her sleeve, she placed them on Arthur's lap. "I guess a bump on the head was worth it."

Taking the keys, Arthur stood and tried them in the lock in the door. After a couple of keys, it finally unlocked. He stepped out of the cell and found their weapons that were taken from them. He strapped his sword belt back in place before carrying Merlyn's back into the cell. Looking at Merlyn, he saw her nearly falling unconscious again. Walking back over and crouching down, he grabbed her arm and put it around his neck, supporting most of her body, her weapons in his other hand.

"Come on, no time to sleep. We've got to get out of here."

"You go." She muttered, eyes drooping again.

"If you think I'm leaving you, then you're more stupid than you look." He teased. Looking over, her head was down again. Tapping her cheek once more, he got her to come around. "Come on Merlyn. I need you to show me the way out."

Lifting her head, she took a look around. "That way.." She pointed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

After they made it to the outside of the castle, Merlyn fell unconscious. Arthur lifted her into his arms and made their way into the forest surrounding the forgotten castle. He walked for as long as he could with her, but soon he had to stop to rest. He had gone about an hour, making sure not to leave a trace of which direction that they had gone. He hoped that they wouldn't check on them for the rest of the night, so it would give them some headway. He stopped by a stream, and placed Merlyn down at the edge of it.

Scooping a handful of water, he washed his face before getting another and taking a drink. It felt cool and refreshing. He glanced back at Merlyn. He knew that with head injuries, they need checking on regularly and if possible the person should stay awake. There were some things that he had learnt while in battle and it's aftermath.

He scooped up a small amount of water before trying to wake her up with it. "Merlyn.. Come on Merlyn.. I think you've been asleep far too long now.. Time for you to carry me.." He tried to talk her into coming around.

He let out a sigh of relief when he heard her respond. "You're far too fat for me to carry." He let out a small chuckle, before helping her sit up.

"Come on, you should drink something." He helped her as much as he could.

She sat and watched him when he moved her to lean against a rock as he looked through their packs for something as he managed to find them on their route out of the castle.

"Why didn't you leave me there?" She asked quietly. He paused in his search. "I broke your trust and basically betrayed you. Why didn't you just leave me and save yourself?"

"Because you saved my life." He simply stated. "I owed you. Now we're even." He didn't look at her. "We will rest here for a few hours before heading on. We should be well away from here before they even realize we are missing." Merlyn nodded and accepted the blanket that Arthur handed to her before laying down on the ground.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur woke to the sound of the stream flowing beside him. Blinking a couple of times, he sat up. First thing he noticed was that Merlyn was not where he had left her. Quickly looking around the makeshift camp, he saw her pack was no longer there and neither were her weapons.

Next thing he noticed was a journal thing resting on top of his pack. There was a note on top of it. He picked up the note and read it. _'I'm sorry. Follow the stream south and you will come to the village.'_ She was gone. He knew it the moment he opened his eyes.

Picking up the journal, he opened it. Looking at the first page he recognized the words from some papers that were given to him months ago. Flicking through it, he saw that the last entry was from months ago. Everything kind of hit him at once. She was a spy.

He looked at the last page in the book and began to read.

_Dear Arthur,_

_I'm sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen or for you to even find out. I thank you for giving me a chance. You made me see that I have more to live for than to just avenge my parents. You may not believe me now, but everything I have done since arriving in Camelot has been to protect you, whether you knew it or not. I know you won't believe me about Agravaine, but be careful. He is dangerous. Everything that I have found out about him is in this book. The first few pages are what I found in the first week. I never gave it to Helios, and he is none the wiser. Despite what you may think, I told him to screw it the night I saved you._

_Be careful Arthur. I hope that you will forgive me and that one day we will meet again. But until then, I will be protecting you from a distance._

_Goodbye Arthur._

_Merlyn x_

Quickly wiping a tear away, he stuffed the book into his pack. He needed to get moving. They would be out looking for them by now. Collecting his things, he headed south, following the stream.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Let me know what you think :).. Please Review! x**


	13. Chapter 12: Always Will Be

A/N - Thank you for all the reviews :).. They mean the world to me!.. On with the show :D.. x

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 12 – Always Will Be**

Arthur rode his horse back into the gates of Camelot. Guards were rushing around him. He was meant to be back yesterday so this would therefore in his father's mind mean that he was dead or captured. In this case though, he would be right.

"Arthur! What happened?!" Morgana asked as she flew down the castle steps as he handed his horse off to the stable boy. "Where's Merlyn?" She asked, looking around not seeing the warrior.

"The King wants to see me and I'd rather only say this once." He sighed as he headed towards the Great Hall where the King and the council were waiting for him. He hadn't completely made up his mind of what to tell the King, whether he would tell him the truth about Merlyn or whether to cover for her. Morgana followed her brother inside, and she went to stand beside Leon, who also had a worried look on his face.

"Arthur!" The King exclaimed, walking to meet his son. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I am fine father." Arthur confirmed. The King went to sit back on his throne as the members of the council waited for him to begin telling them what had had transpired.

"What happened?" He asked once he was settled, inviting Arthur to begin.

"Once we left Camelot, we travelled north to where the sighting had taken place. On our journey, we came across a small village and decided to rest and leave our horses there since we wouldn't be able to take them any further. Once we left the village, we had travelled for a couple of hours in the forest before we were ambushed." He paused, hearing Morgana gasp and rage building in his father's eyes.

"Who was it?" Uther demanded to know.

"Helios, my lord, the Barbarian King." Arthur told him. "They knocked us out with darts and took us to their base at the Forgotten Castle."

"What did he want?" Uther asked. "You escaped I assume."

"We did. He wanted to gloat more than anything. The assassin at the Festival of the Purge was sent by him." Arthur told them.

"The man that Merlyn killed?" Morgana asked and Arthur nodded to her question.

"What else?" Uther asked.

"He wanted to kill me and since Merlyn prevented that, he wanted to finish the job. They took Merlyn from the cell and Helios tried to convince her to join him and his assassins but she refused. On the way back to the cell, she managed to get a set of keys from one of the guards, but he wasn't too happy about her trick and she was then thrown back into the cell. She gave me the keys to the door, which she had managed to take from the guard and we managed to escape from the castle. We stopped for the night before carrying on." Arthur explained. He paused for a moment. He had to make a split second decision. "Once we returned to the horses, Merlyn decided that she wanted to go back travelling for a while. We split ways on our way back to Camelot." He lied. He didn't want his father to find out that she had run after he learnt of her being an assassin.

"Can you show us where the Forgotten Castle is?" Uther asked, not doubting his son's story.

"I can, but I doubt that they will still be there. They will probably have moved when they realized that we has gone." Uther nodded, but still wanted to go incase they left any information.

"Go and rest Arthur. It has been a trying couple of days for you." Uther dismissed him. Before he could leave the room, Gaius caught up to him.

"Sire, if you don't mind me asking, why didn't Merlyn come back?" He asked.

"I don't know Gaius." He lied. "She didn't say and she didn't say when she would back." He sighed. "When I woke, she was gone."

"Gone, sire?" Gaius questioned.

"She left while I was sleeping, leaving a note saying she was sorry but she had to go." He explained.

"I see." Gaius paused for a moment. "Get some rest sire." He said before leaving the prince alone.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Arthur!" Agravaine smiled at his nephew. Arthur had stayed to himself for the rest of the day, going over things that he had learnt in the past couple of days. "I hope you are feeling better."

"I am uncle." Arthur nodded. "I was just wondering if anything happened since I've been away that I should be made aware of."

Agravaine sighed as he put down the quill that he had been writing with. "Your father has sent out a patrol of Knight's to the Forgotten Castle. If we are lucky they will be stupid enough to still be there, but if not they may have left some kind of clue." He paused before continuing. "You said that you met Helios? Did he say anything?"

"Anything about what?" Arthur questioned, noticing Agravaine nervously playing with the quill.

"About the assassination attempt? Or who hired him to kill you?" He asked. "I find it rather strange that he would want you dead unless it was part of some plan."

"I don't know uncle. He didn't say anything." A knock came at the door of the small office. A guard came in and told them that the King would like to see Agravaine. "I had better be going. I am still very tired. Thank you Uncle." Arthur nodded before leaving the room.

He had to admit, something was going on with Agravaine. Whether he believed Merlyn or not, he was going to find out.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"When did Merlyn say that she would be back?" Morgana asked as she came to check on him. He was sat at his desk, looking over some papers that the King had delivered to him.

"She didn't say." He spoke without looking up.

"She must have given some indication. She wouldn't just up and leave." Morgana argued. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Arthur sighed, putting down the papers and looking at Morgana. "Morgana, I have no idea what's going on in that woman's head. Do you really think that I would have let her go if I had known what she had planned?" He sighed.

"Let her go?" Morgana questioned. "You said that you parted ways."

"I lied. If the King knew she just upped and left he wouldn't be very happy about it." He grumbled. "She packed and left in the middle of the night leaving nothing but a note saying that she was sorry."

Morgana remained silent for a while. "You know she will be fine." She didn't know who she was trying to convince more, Arthur or herself. "She's travelled the world and its not like she can't take care of herself."

"I know. I'm just worried about her, that's all." He admitted.

"Arthur.. Do you.. like Merlyn?" She asked curiously.

"Of course I like her." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, I mean like like her." She hinted.

"You mean like.." He suddenly understood what she was getting at. "Ew, no!" Morgana raised an eyebrow at him, telling him that she doesn't believe him one bit. "I care about her as a friend, that's it!"

Morgana rolled her eyes before heading towards the door. "You know she will be alright." She turned back to him.

"I know." He gave her a sad smile before she turned and left him alone.

Did he like her? He'd never thought about it. Of course he liked her, he wouldn't have asked her to stay otherwise. She pushes his buttons, she annoys the hell out of him and on most days he wants to kill her. Okay so maybe he likes their arguments, riling each other up. But did that meant he liked her?

But one thought just kept popping up. She betrayed him so why did he still feel the need to protect her?

-x-x-x-x-x-

Her head pounded. She had waited until Arthur was asleep before leaving. She had left him her journal with everything that she had learnt about Agravaine in it. She hoped that he actually read it and saw for himself what kind of man his uncle was.

She had wandered south until she had come to the village where they had left the horses. It was still dark when she arrived, and quickly took the reins of Taika and rode out of the village.

She came to a stop in a village east when the throbbing pain in her head became too bad. Dawn had broken and people were getting up and about. She found the tavern, and quickly paid for a room before falling onto the bed and effectively passing out.

When she woke, the pain was still there, but it wasn't as bad. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave Arthur just yet. No, she had to. She couldn't run the risk of him turning her in. What use would she be to him if she were dead?

Noting that it was dark again outside, she rummaged through her pack and found a small vial that Gaius had given her before they left. He had told her that it was pain relief incase they needed it. She drank it quickly, coughing as it hit the back of her throat. Retreating back to the bed, she hoped that when she woke up again, the pain would be gone.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The sun was just breaking the horizon when she woke. She stayed still for a moment, and sighed in relief, as the pain in her head seemed to have gone. Quickly checking the bump, she was glad to feel that it had almost completely gone.

Getting up, she packed her things together and made her way out of the room. Leaving the tavern, she collected Taika from the stables and headed out of the village. She headed east, not really knowing where she was going. She needed to hunt soon.

Tying Taika to a branch, she set off to collect some meat. Managing to catch a couple of rabbits, she skinned them and quickly built a fire. Cooking and eating as much as she could, she started riding once again. Time passed her by, and came to a forest. It felt different than other places. It felt like.. Magic.

She let Taika continue to lead the way as she watched the beauty of the forest surround her. A weight lifted off her shoulders and they travelled deeper into the foliage. The leaves seemed greener, and the wildlife flourished, not running away at the sound of her approach. A smile graced her lips as she took in all the wonders around her.

Merlyn stopped Taika when she saw a woman dressed in a long white gown stood in front of them, smiling at her. Dismounting, she took cautious steps closer.

"Welcome Merlyn, daughter of Balinor." The woman smiled.

"How do you know who I am?" She asked.

"I have known you all your life. I am Freya, welcome to the birthplace of magic." She smiled kindly at her. "Please, come." Looking back cautiously to Taika, Freya insists that she will be all right and still waiting when she returns.

The two of them walk into a cave that is concealed in the growth. "What is this place?" Merlyn asks in wonder.

"This place is known as the Crystal Cave. Very few people can find it." Freya said as they walked further into the cave. "You have questions."

"A lot." Merlyn continues to follow her.

"You, are one of the very few people who is able to find this place." They came to a stop at a table with two chairs all made out of crystal. "What did your father tell you of your parentage?" She asked.

"Not much from what I remember. He told me that he too had magic, but that was about it." She shrugged.

"You, Merlyn, are the last living Dragonlord." Freya smiled. "You are Emrys."

"Emyrs?"

"Thousands of years ago, there was a Goddess called Emyrs. She was the Goddess of the Dragons., the most powerful sorceress to have ever lived. Everyone with magic respected her and looked up to her for she was kind, but those without wanted her power. Not only was she a very powerful witch, she also had control of hundreds of dragons. After a while, magic and none magic users a like became jealous of the power that she did not use and tried to find ways of taking the power from her. They began to hunt her down. She had a group of ten trusted followers. After hundreds of years, she became tired of running. Instead, she decided to give herself over to a higher power. Between her ten loyal followers, she spread her power and in turn creating the very first Dragonlords. Once she had given her powers away, she went to the lake of Avalon and raised to a higher being, ready to be resurrected when the time was right." Freya told her.

Merlyn stayed quiet as she listened. She had heard of Dragonlords, and remembered her father mentioning something a long time ago about them, but the story seemed familiar.

"Since that day, the power of the Dragonlord is passed from parent to first born child. Each time a Dragonlord passed through the gates of Avalon without an heir, the power of Emyrs was released. Over thousands of years, there have been Dragonlords, until now."

"What do you mean until now? You said my father was a Dragonlord, so he would have been the last."

"That is true except there were two Dragonlords born of his generation. When the other Dragonlord died without any heirs, your father became the last. The power could only be inherited when there is only one line of dragonlords remaining. When you were born, you inherited not only your father's right of the Dragonlords, but all of them. You have the power to become the most powerful Sorceress to ever walk the earth. You have the power of Emyrs."

She sat there in shock. All this time she had kept her powers hidden and with good reason. Her father always told her that her magic was special, but it was dangerous for people to know.

"I imagine this knowledge is much to take in, but don't worry. Magic grows stronger when we are in most need. To put it simply, there is a filter on the amount you can use. Only when you your body is strong enough to contain the magic can you embrace the full extent of your powers."

Merlyn sat quiet for a while taking everything in. She suddenly thought of something. "Can you teach me?" Freya just smiled and let out a small laugh.

"I am no teacher." She smiled. "You magic is instinctive, it can not be taught. There are books and incantations that you can learn from to help, but when you need it, you will know."

A ball of fire hurled its way towards her. Panic flooded her as she quickly held up her hand. She squeezed her eyes tight, readying herself for impact, but nothing came. Looking up, she saw a force stopping the fire from touching her. The fire stopped and she brought her hand to her face and looked at it.

"You see." Freya smiled. "Your magic knew you were in danger, your instincts took over."

"Wow." She whispered.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur sat at his desk reading through the journal that Merlyn left for him. Every bit of information was more saddening than the next. She had written notes on what she had remembered from the night of the attack, everything that she had learnt from Helios involving similar attacks, and speculation as to why Agravaine would attack them.

That was the thing that he couldn't get rid of. Why would he attack a small village in Cenred's land? What was so special about that village or who was in it? Arthur had spent many afternoons in the library recently. It had been a week since his arrival back in Camelot. He dedicated all his spare time into research and confirming Merlyn's information. If he found that what she said was true and Agravaine was responsible for the attack, then he would make a case against him. He was not naïve enough to think that the King would take his word over his most trusted friend. The man was hiding something, and if he had hidden this from the King, what else has he been up to without the King's knowledge?

His thoughts travelled to Merlyn. Where was she? Should he care? No. They were even. She saved his life, and he saved hers by not leaving her behind. He couldn't just forget about her real reason for coming to Camelot, could he? The more he thought about it, the more he understood. He would want revenge if he were in her shoes.

He sighed, putting the book down. Nothing in there gave him conclusive evidence that his uncle did what Merlyn said that he did. Thinking about how he could find out, he had an idea. Getting up from he seat, he made his way to the door, and back down to the library.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Geoffrey, do you know where the scroll of the old Knights and soldiers are?" He asked, speaking to the Genealogist who was effectively the librarian.

"They are on the third shelf to the left, sire." He informed him. "Is there something in particular that you are interested in sire?" Geoffrey hadn't seen the Prince down in the library this much… ever!

"No thank you Geoffrey." He gave the old man a small smile before heading over to the scrolls. He search through, putting Merlyn's book down to the side and looking for a list of all those in service at the time Merlyn said her village was attacked.

Finding the right list, he sighed. There were lots of names. Pulling out a chair, he sat down and flicked to the last entry in Merlyn's book and began to jot down every name. It would take a while.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn looked around at all the crystals that covered the walls. "What are these?" She said as she saw scenes play out in them.

"They are seeing crystals. They show every possible future of every single person. Very few can understand them or differentiate between the ones that will actually come true. Those who can are called Seers." Freya explained.

"So what do you do exactly?" She asked. "Do you just stay in this cave all the time?"

Freya smiled. "No. In actual fact, I am not even really here." Merlyn watched in shock as Freya spirited away in front of her eyes before returning. "I am the spirit of magic."

"So you are.. magic?" She asked.

"Sort of." She smiled. "I once was like you. I was a druid, a part of a small settlement hundreds of years ago. Myself and my brother were playing in the lake of Avalon when some bandits came. Since I was older, and I didn't want my little brother to get hurt, I told him to hide and when he got the chance to run. I didn't have very strong magic, and I tried to run in the opposite direction." She sighed. "They weren't very nice men, but I managed to distract them long enough so my brother could get away. They tried to have their way with me, but the Lake helped me. I became one with the lake and have been ever since."

"You're the Lady of the Lake!" She finally understood.

"Some may call me that yes. Magic surrounds the planet, and is sort of a life-force of everything in it."

"I'm sorry about what happened to you." Merlyn told her.

"It is alright. It was a long time ago, and I would do it again to see my brother live a long and happy life." She smiled.

"Did you ever see your family again?" She asked.

"I did, but they never saw me. You see, just like the cave, only the chosen can see me."

"It must be lonely." Merlyn surmised.

"It can be, but I am also never alone." She smiled. "And neither are you."

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please Review x**


	14. Chapter 13: Man on the Silver Moutain

_A/N - Thank you for all the reviews!.. I do love them :D.. Enjoy x_

_-x-x-x-x-x-_

**Chapter 13 – Man on the Silver Mountain**

"Merlyn, I have a question for you." Freya revealed. "Why did you come here?"

Merlyn stilled. Why did she come here? "I don't know. I was running away and.."

"Running away from what? From Arthur?" Freya asked. Merlyn as getting used to the fact that Freya knew near enough everything.

"Maybe.." She sighed.

"Merlyn, you can not continue to run forever. One day you have to open your heart and let people in. Arthur is you destiny, just as you are his." She smiled.

Merlyn caught the tone in her voice. "No! We aren't like that." Merlyn argued.

"Like what?" Freya asked.

"You know.. that!" Merlyn argued. "He's like.."

"Your best friend?" She asked.

"Exactly!" She agrees.

"Overprotective? Likes pulling your pigtails? Is always looking out for you even when you don't notice, keeps his distance when he knows you need time to yourself, is always there when you need to rant and rave at someone? He always checks to make sure that you are alright despite the fact he knows that you would never tell him if you weren't, he can see from a glance at you when there is something wrong or bothering you or even at this moment after he learnt the true nature of why you arrived in Camelot he still worries about you."

She is stunned. "I.. I never knew.." She whispered.

"Open your heart, and you will know that it is true. It might take you months, years even to admit it but he cares for you. As a friend, best friend or even more we shall have to see, but he cares. Even now."

"What do I do now?" Merlyn asks. "Where do I go?"

"You have vengeance in your heart, but you've never really let go or accepted the past. To move forward, you must go back." She tells her.

"You are starting to sound more and more like the dragon with your riddles." She laughs, sniffing and blinking back tears. "Thank you, Freya."

"If you ever need me, just call." With that, the spirit of Freya vanished.

Merlyn took one last look around the cave and smiles. Picking up her weapons, she headed outside where Taika is munching on some grass. Merlyn grabs her reins and strokes her head. "Let's go home."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Yawning, Arthur crossed the last name off the list. He had managed to write down everyone who was working in the year that Merlyn's village was attacked under Agravaine before using the scrolls reporting deaths to cross off everyone who has passed away.

The night had fallen, as he put away the last of the scrolls. Collecting the book, he headed out of the library, bidding Geoffrey goodnight as he did. He deposited the book in his desk drawer, locking it before heading for the Great Hall for their 'family meal'. He was the last to enter, but that was not unusual.

"Arthur, I was wondering when you would join us." Uther commented as he took his seat in between the King and his sister.

"Sorry I am late Father, I had some researching to do." He simply stated.

"Yes, Geoffrey had mentioned you have been in the library frequently in recent weeks. What exactly are you researching?" Uther asked, taking a bite out of his chicken as Arthur filled his plate.

"Just some records of Knights. I decided that I should know more about their lineage." He made up.

"A good leader knows his subjects." Uther confirmed. "I'm impressed."

"Who knew Arthur would turn into a bookworm." Morgana teased.

"How are the new recruits coming along? Are any of them ready to take the test?" Uther asked.

The rest of the meal was spent with discussing Knights and other political issues. Morgana get's bored very quickly and tries to change the subject. Uther and Agravaine began speaking about something while Arthur stayed quiet. Morgana was chatting in his ear about something that she heard from one of the maids about one of the cooks, but he was keeping his eye on Agravaine.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The travel to Ealdor took a couple of days. The closer she came to the village, the more nervous she got. She hadn't been here since that night. No matter what she kept telling herself, deep down she was still that scared little girl that had run away.

Her breath caught in her throat when she caught her first glimpse of the ruins. Dismounting Taika, she walked over. The foliage had overtaken some of the buildings and stone paths. The roofs were missing, and most of the brickwork was in ruins. Letting Taika go to eat, she walked through the place that had once been filled with running children, people working and selling things in the small market.

Walking into the main square, she stopped as she saw the well. She didn't bother holding back her tears as they flowed down her face. She looked to the ground, the exact spot that her father took his last breath, protecting her. Covering her hand with her mouth, she let out a sob. She continued on.

She walked to the house that used to be hers. Walking inside, she could almost imagine everything that used to be in there. Now the place was filled with black from the fires. The little room that used to be hers was half buried under bricks.

Back out onto the street, she remembered the place that she dropped her to knees, beside her mother. She tried with all her might to wake her, but she wouldn't open her eyes. Taking a raspy breath, she stood in the center of the village.

Falling to her knees, she cried. She let everything she had held back for the past decade out. Things weren't meant to be this way. One man destroyed her life, and made her hate the person she had become. She had become a killer for hire, that made her no better than him.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur sat at his desk as he looked through the names of the surviving men from the list. He had been back in the library marking off those who were already tasked on missions during the time and those who were stationed in the castle.

There were three names left on the list. He sat staring at each of the names. One was a man he knew wouldn't be able to help him even if he wanted to. Being in a war takes it's toll, and sometimes the nightmares become too much that the mind prefers to stay in another place.

One of the remaining two was a close friend with Agravaine. He doubted that he would tell him anything, and if nothing else he would probably tip off Agravaine that he was looking into it.

The other, was an older man. From what he had heard from Gaius, the man was very much on his deathbed. Sighing, he hated what he was about to do, but he needed the truth.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Knocking on the door of the house in the lower market, the woman was surprised to see the Prince on her doorstep. "My lord." She bowed slightly. "What brings you to our door?" She inquired, letting him in.

"Good evening, Mary." She blushed, as he knew her name. "May I speak with your father?"

Her face dropped at the reference to the older man. "I am afraid he is very fragile my Lord. He does not have much time left."

"You have my apologies. I know that it is a hard time for you and your family. I would not ask if it were not important." He told her.

Mary nodded before leading him down the hall to a small room. She quietly opened the door and entered.

"Father.." She placed her hand on the old man's shoulder, rousing him from sleep. "Father.. Prince Arthur is here to see you." She smiled softly as the man woke up.

"Good evening, sir." Arthur nodded to him.

"Arthur.." Arthur smiled at him as Mary offered him the chair beside the bed before she left the room. "You sure have grown." The smile on his face grew. "What can I do for the Prince of Camelot?" He asked, shifting to sit up a little.

"I hate to ask you, Thomas, but I am looking for some information about something that happened about ten years ago." Arthur told him.

"The village.." Thomas sighed. Arthur was surprised for a moment. "That is the biggest regret. After that, I lost my faith.." A tear dropped from the man's eye.

"Do you mind me asking what happened? Why was the village attacked?"

"He didn't tell us. He just said that it was orders from the King, but I knew it wasn't the moment we stepped foot in it." Thomas took a deep breath before he was able to continue. "He made us wait until nightfall. I couldn't understand it, but he said not to question. During the night, he marched us into the village and ordered to ransack the place, and set fire to the houses. I still hear their screams."

"It was Agravaine, wasn't it.." Arthur asked. He didn't want this man to relive it all. Thomas nodded.

"I wish I could have done something to stop it. After that night, I retired from command. I couldn't continue knowing what I had helped to do." Thomas openly sobbed.

"Thank you for telling me. I am sorry for bringing it up." Arthur apologized.

"No, thank you. Telling someone the truth has set me free. I can finally pass on in peace." The man grabbed his hand, and shook it slightly in thanks.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Night fell as she sat with her back against the well. Her tears had dried up hours ago, but she sat staring out. Moonlight illuminated the ruins. She heard Taika whinny, but ignored it. She was in a trance.

"Excuse me.." She heard a voice from beside her. "Miss?.." Turning her head, she saw a man, about her age, walking towards her. "Are you alright? I heard your horse and thought I would check." When he came next to her, she recognized him. He seemed to do the same. "Merlyn?"

"Will." She gave him a sad smile. She shivered slightly, curling into herself a little more.

"Come on, you're freezing." He helped to get her to her feet and started to lead her away from the ruins, grabbing the reins of the horse on his way.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur sighed entering his bedchambers. He didn't know how to feel. The dying man had confirmed that it was Agravaine who had led the attack on Merlyn's village, but he still didn't know why. He knew the truth, but it wouldn't matter. He had no proof other than circumstantial. He knew how it worked. Thomas wouldn't live long enough to testify, he probably wouldn't make it through the night.

He stood at the window. He looked over the walls of the city. She was out there somewhere, and even though she betrayed him, he forgave her. Of course he forgave her. He just hoped that wherever she was, that she was safe.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Here, drink this." Will put a hot drink in her hand as she pulled the blanket that he gave her closer around her.

"Thanks." She accepted it. He had put Taika in the stables for the night after he had made sure the fire was going and she was warming up beside it. "I can't believe you're alive." She stated. "I thought you.."

"No.. I managed to get away. A few of us hid in the forest for weeks before we came back. It was too hard to live in the ruins, so we rebuilt the village here." He explained. "I didn't know you were alive until a few years back. Gorlois came back. He lives here with me now." Will explained. "He said you survived and the two of you stayed on the move for a while. He always knew you were still alive, even after you left him."

"Is he here?" She asked. "I never did get chance to thank him for everything."

"No, he's out of town. He comes and goes a lot, trading across in other Kingdoms." He told her. "Where've you been?"

"Camelot." She takes a sip of the drink, warming her from the inside out. "I work for the Prince.. Well sort of anyway or at least I did."

"Did?" He asks.

"We had a.. disagreement. I kind of left him a note in the middle of the night and ran off." She let out a small smile. "I seem to do that a lot."

Will paused for a moment before saying what he wanted to say. "You know the soldier that night were wearing the crest of Camelot."

Merlyn nodded. "Yeah, I know. But it wasn't, or at least it wasn't ordered by them." Will looked at her questioningly. "Since I left Gorlois, I basically spent everyday looking for answers. I only arrived in Camelot because of a job before deciding to stay."

"So do you like it there?" He asked.

"It's alright. It's the only place that has started to feel like home after.. You know." Will nodded.

"I will start making something to eat. I'm sure we've got something edible in here somewhere." He joked, before heading off towards the kitchen.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_She sat curled up against the base of a tree. She had run all night to get away from the men chasing her. Soldiers were hunting through the forest for any survivors. She had managed to escape and get away from them. It had been two days since the attack, and she was alone. Anyone else who had survived had spread throughout the forest, going to other villages and trying to stay alive._

_She cried into her knees, hoping to wake up to find that this was all just a bad dream. "Merlyn!" She heard someone calling out her name. She held her breath, waiting for the person to go away. "Merlyn!" The voice was much close this time, as she closed her eyes. She was tired of running._

"_Merlyn.." The voice sighed, as the person crouched down beside her. She felt a gentle hand on her head, brushing some leaves out of her hair. Daring to look up, she found the friendly face of a man she knew. Gorlois, her father's best friend. Tears filled her eyes as she curled into him and cried. "Hush now." He stroked her hair as she let out her sadness. She cried herself into exhaustion before Gorlois picked her up, and continued deeper in the forest._

-x-x-x-x-x-

_She lived with Gorlois for a year after the attack and the death of her parent's. They never stayed in one place for too long, always on the move. He had started to teach her how to fight. She mastered the basics easily, but she was so full of hatred and anger._

_They had been staying in a tavern in a small village in Mercia when she left. It was the middle of the night. She collected her weapons that Gorlois had given her and slipped from the tavern. In the morning the owner told Gorlois that his 'daughter' had left in the night, taking her horse with her. He spent weeks looking and trying to track her down, but she was gone._

_She travelled, town to town, just as before, never staying in the same place for too long. She stole, she hunted, she survived, until one day she stole from the wrong person. Helios caught her. She had tried pick pocketing him, but he was the master of thieves. Instead of handing her over to the village elders, he challenged her._

_Nervous, but with anger running through her blood, she fought bravely. He saw something within her. She was an all right fighter, she could hold her own against an ordinary person. She was agile, quiet and a good thief. He could hone her skills and make her into his best recruit. He offered her something that she was looking for, revenge._

_For the next eight years she trained. Helios held up his word. He trained her, took her out on small jobs and she quickly became his best recruit. Mordred had arrived a year before she had, and didn't like the new girl taking his glory. The two began their rivalry the day she arrived, and they were at each other's throats ever since._

_Under Helios, she learnt that the soldiers that had attacked her village were wearing the crest of Camelot. She vowed her revenge against the family who were the demise of her own._

-x-x-x-x-x-

The Pendragon family meal had become strained in the last few weeks for Arthur. He had been to see Thomas three nights ago, and Gaius informed him earlier today that he had passed away peacefully in his sleep. It made him glad to know that he was at peace having let go his biggest regret.

Uther and Agravaine were talking about something uninteresting when Arthur decided to bring it up. "Gaius told me today that Thomas Hildey passed away last night."

"I recognize that name. Didn't he used to be one of your soldier's Agravaine?" Uther asked.

"I am not sure." Agravaine, paled a little at the name, but kept his cool.

"Yes, he said so." Arthur watched as Agravaine's face fell. "I went to visit him a few nights back. He was a nice man, I remember him from being a child."

"Send his family a basket or something will you?" Uther asked Arthur. Arthur nodded, watching the man opposite him very carefully.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn had stayed with Will for the past few days. She helped him out with the horses that he looked after. It was nice to be away from the city and in a village environment again. It wasn't the same when you were just passing through, but that was also what she was doing.

She had avoided it for the last couple of days, but she knew it was something she needed to do.

"Will? Where are they buried?" She asked quietly. She knew it was just as hard for him as it was for her. His mother had been killed in the attack as well.

"Just outside the village to the north. Would you like me to come with you?" He offered. He had been every year on the anniversary, on birthdays and other times.

"I need to do this alone." She told him, before thanking him.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Someone knocked on his door. "Come in." He called just before Agravaine came into the room.

"What were you doing speaking to Thomas Hildey?" He demanded.

"He was an old friend, and I wanted to pay my respects. Why? Is there something that I should know?" Arthur asked, keeping his cool.

"That man was delusional. War has torn away his brain." Agravaine told him.

"He seemed very with it to me." Arthur informed him.

"You can't believe a word that man says."

"I'll decide what I believe or not." Arthur glared. "Now if there isn't anything else, I would like to get back to work."

Agravaine glared at him before turning on his heel and leaving his chambers. Arthur smirked. He'd hit a nerve.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Walking over to the little mounds, she found what she was looking for.

_Here lies Balinor and Hunith_

The words carved simply into a slab of stone from the village. She sat down.

"Hi Mum.. Dad.. Sorry I haven't been to visit you before." She sniffed her tears away before taking a deep breath. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you, and I miss you every day.. I promise I will visit more often.. But I have to go now.. I wish you were still with me." Standing, she kissed her hand before placing it on the headstone.

"Goodbye.." She whispered, before turning and walking back towards where the new village was.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Are you sure that you can't stay longer?" Will asked as she packed her saddlebag.

"I'm sorry, but there's things that I have to do. I promise I will come back to visit soon." She smiled, adjusting the last belt before turning back to Will. "Maybe you and Gorlois can come and visit in Camelot some day." She suggest.

"Make sure you keep that Prince of yours in order." Will teased her. She had been telling him all about Arthur and his bad habits. Will was happy to hear about her stories, and the sparkle that shined in her eyes when she spoke about Camelot, Gaius, Percy and her friends, especially Morgana and Arthur.

"Trust me, I will." She grinned.

"Fancy meeting you here little lady." A voice behind her spoke. Turning around, she saw one person she had hoped never to see again.

"Please don't tell me you want me to kick your ass again Gwaine." She smirked as he dismounted from his own horse.

"I may be stupid enough to do that once, but twice.. Nah." He laughed. "Sober, I promise."

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Looking for the next tavern to get kicked out of." He shrugged.

"Sorry to tell you, we don't have a tavern." Will informed him.

"Damn, seems like its not here then. Where are you off to then…? You know I don't even know your name."

Merlyn grinned. He was charming, she had to give him that. "Merlyn.. My name's Merlyn."

"Well Merlyn.. Is blondie not with you? Or did I make him up in my drunken haze?" He looked around, not seeing anyone else.

"Blondie?" Will asked.

"Arthur." Merlyn laughed before turning to Gwaine. "No, he isn't here."

"Fancy some company on your trip?" He offered.

Thinking about it for a moment, she shrugged. "Sure, why not. But call me 'little lady' again, I will kick your ass." She warned him. He saluted to her before mounting his horse once more.

"I'll see you soon Will." She hugged her old friend.

"Good Luck." He told her, watching as she mounted Taika.

Together, Merlyn and Gwaine left the small village. With one last look at the ruins of the old village, she galloped on with a new determination.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_A large dragon roared into the sky, standing on the roof of the castle. It breathed fire into the night sky, before turning its attention to the courtyard, making everyone dive out of the way._

Morgana shot up in bed. She gulped down huge breaths of air, trying to get her heart back under control. It was happening again, the nightmares.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please review! x**


	15. Chapter 14: Unchained

_A/N - Thank you for all the reviews!.. Sorry I haven't got around to replying to them, been very busy!.. _

_Guest #1 - Thank you so much!.. I do try to make it as different as possible but some situations may be similar, but hopefully not too much :).. p.s. I do love Daughtry.. hadn't heard the new song until you mentioned it! Thank you!.. Love it!.. x_

_Guest #2 - Can't forget about Will! Haha.. For the moment Gwaine's part in this is quite small (as are the other knights) but don't worry, he will have his own storyline soon (but it might be in one of the later stories).. Thanks for the review! x_

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 14 – Unchained**

It had been months since Merlyn had left him that night. Things hadn't been easy in the castle since. It may have been quiet on the surface, but with Arthur's new knowledge of his Uncle's treachery, he had been keeping a close eye on him. The only person that Arthur trusted with this knowledge was Leon. Between the two of them, they had been watching his every move and trying to figure out his motives.

There were a couple of occasions when Agravaine was leaving the castle to collect new information from his contacts, and they managed to get Leon to be a part of the group of Knights that would accompany them. So far, Agravaine was none the wiser as to what was going on, just as no one else was, but the two made it their mission to find out what he was planning and to put a stop to it.

Many of the Knights knew that there was a difference in their leader. He was short tempered and would train them for longer and harder. He just wasn't the same without Merlyn around, but no one dared mention her name.

Arthur paced in his chambers, trying to figure out if there was a way of finding her. He had read the words of the letter she had written him over and over again. _'I will be protecting you from a distance.'_ From what he could tell, she had been nowhere near him. He thought back to the feelings that he had gotten when she was watching him in the week that she arrived in Camelot, and he hadn't felt anything like that. He would know if she was watching him.

Maybe she was hunting down bandits? There hadn't been any sighting of any since they had been captured. Maybe that had something to do with it? Were the bandits sent by Helios to lure him and Merlyn out? No, they would have done that long before they did. None of this made any sense.

A knock on his door made him snap out of his thoughts. "Come in." He called, and watched as Percy made his way into his room.

"Sire, I wanted to know if you were alright. You were out of sorts during practice." He inquired. Despite their rocky start, Arthur had come to trust Percy almost as much as he did Leon. After he learnt of Merlyn's true intentions he had been wary of Percy, but once he saw his reaction to Merlyn's departure, he knew that he was just as unaware of her true nature as the rest of them had been. He had kept his knowledge to himself, and especially away from the King since he would have her hunted down and killed for her betrayal.

"I am fine Percy." He sighed before flopping down into a chair. "Just tired."

"She will be back." Percy could see the friendship between the two of them before Merlyn has disappeared and knew that she wouldn't leave without a good reason and she wouldn't stay away for too long.

"She's not even here and she is still finding ways to annoy the hell out of me." He let out a small laugh.

"It's what she does best." Percy grinned.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The past few months for Merlyn had been an experience. She had travelled around with Gwaine for a while. He had said he needed a new watering hole, and every village they stopped in wasn't good enough for him. In the end she just gave in and let him tag along with her.

Since their first meeting, she had learnt that he was a fairly skilled fighter when he wasn't drunk and was a terrible flirt. At first his flirting annoyed her, but after a while, it just made her laugh when he tried chatting up some girl in a village. She rolled her eyes when she saw the girls swoon at his words.

In the time of their travels, they became friends. She never told him about her life though. She didn't want anyone to know, which is why it surprised her that she had so openly told Arthur of it.

That was another thing that had been on her mind. Arthur. She had promised to protect him, and she could only do so much from a distance. She hadn't been anywhere near Camelot in the months she had been away, but she had had a close call with some of the Knight Patrols.

At the moment, they were sat around a small fire as they camped for the night. The horses were tied up after they let them drink from the nearby stream and fed. She had been staring into the fire for a long time until Gwaine brought her out of her thoughts.

"I liked that last village we were in." He commented, bringing her out of her thoughts about Arthur and Camelot. "It had a nice vibe."

"You mean the barmaid was good looking and flirted just as much as you?" She questioned, rolling her eyes.

"Well, that was an added bonus." He winked at her. "What about you?"

Taking a drink out of her water pack. "What about me what?" She questioned, not sure what he was talking about.

"What happened between you and blondie?" He asked. Since the day he strolled into Ealdor he hadn't mentioned Arthur, figuring out she didn't want to talk about him, not that he really knew who Arthur was.

"Nothing happened between me and him, nothing has ever happened between me and him." She shrugged, it was the truth after all.

"Does blondie have a name?" He inquired. "I may have been drunk at the time, but even I didn't make him up in my drunkern haze."

Merlyn laughed a little before humoring him. "His name's Arthur and he was my boss and friend."

"Was? What happened?" He asked.

"We were on a job and.. well lets say some old friends of mine made an appearance. We argued and I left." She shrugged. "Anyway, I needed time to get away and get my head straight."

"Are you ever going to go back?"

She sighed, looking back into the fire. It was the same question that she had been asking herself for days now. "I don't know."

Being away from everything for a while had made her heal a little. Going to Ealdor had done more good than she could ever have imagined. Just knowing that there were others that survived, not just her, made her feel better. Going back had made her stronger and made her realize just what the dragon told her about the future.

"Well, we better get some sleep. We have that site to check out tomorrow." Gwaine grunted as he lay on the ground. "You know normal people run away from places where bandits have attacked."

"Who said anything about me being normal." She smiled a little. Gwaine just laughed as he closed his eyes to get some rest.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur and Leon stood at the edge of the training grounds, observing as the Knight recruits were sparring with each other. It became more regular for Leon to join him since Merlyn had gone. It became the time where they could speak about what was going on without it becoming too suspicious.

"Any news?" Arthur asked, eyes focused on one of the newest recruits, Jaime. He was young and lacked the skills of the others, but he had heart that many of the others didn't have.

"He left early this morning, not taking any guards with him." Leon informed him. "He's been seen several times by the night guards leaving before their shifts have been finished but how regularly I couldn't find out without making too many inquires. "What are you thinking?" He asked after Arthur hadn't said anything for a long time.

"I don't know what to think." Arthur sighed, as he watched Jamie take another hit and ending up on the floor. "He must be working with someone. Why else would be leave without any guards?" Jamie picked himself up off the ground, brushing the dust off him before turning back to his partner, getting ready to go again. "Any word from any of the patrols about Merlyn?"

"Afraid not sire. Where ever she is, she's keeping herself hidden." Leon informed him. "Are you sure that it's a good idea to trust her after everything?" He asked. Over the months that she was here, despite in the beginning not trusting her, they had become friends. He had been just as shocked as Arthur when he told him the truth of what happened that day.

"Ever since I met her, I knew there was something about her and there still is. I know she came to kill me, but how many times has she saved our lives since?" Arthur asked. Leon knew that he had a point, but he didn't like to be fooled. "If she was really going to go through with killing me, she would have just let me die that day. As stupid as it sounds, I still trust her."

"I guess we all deserve a second chance." He admitted. "I will keep you up to date on Agravaine." He promised before they started walking towards the recruits.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn ducked into the shrubbery, staying silent as she observed a meeting taking place. She had sent Gwaine to go to the town market to collect some things that they were running out of while she went alone to check out the site.

"Why have they not been found yet?" One of the men barked at the other. "The boss is getting restless. It's been months and now we've attracted attention of the Knights of Camelot. Who even said that they were in this Kingdom?"

"I don't know but I'm beginning to think that we should widen our search. Our man in the castle hasn't given us any information about any sorcerer that matches the description. Surely if they were within the Kingdom borders then Uther will have found out an killed them." The other responded.

A twig snapped from nearby and she froze. The men seemed to have heard it as well. "What was that?" One of them asked. "Were you followed?"

"No, but let's get out of here." The two of them quickly ran through the forest, leaving an obvious track behind.

Silently turning and heading back in the direction of the town, she sighed. It seemed no matter how close she got to the bandits; none of them knew anything about who the person they were looking for was. The one thing that worried her was the knowledge that there was someone in the castle that was giving out information about users of magic. That seemed to be the key now.

She would have to be wary. She fit into that description. Magic and around the age of twenty. Thankfully only Gaius and Gwen knew of her magic, and she believed that they would not tell a soul about it. She would just have to be even more careful where and who was in her presence when she did use her magic.

Upon seeing Gwaine sitting outside the tavern with a tankard in his hand, she knew that he had finished what she had asked.

"Get anything useful?" He asked. Last time they had gotten this close to a group, Merlyn had been forced to interrogate one of the bandits, but they still didn't know anything.

"Yes and no. I would have learnt more if something didn't spook them." She sighed.

"Well it wasn't me this time. I was out here all the time." He downed the rest of his mead before getting the attention of the barmaid to bring him out another. "So what new then?"

"There's a spy in Camelot, and I have a feeling I know who it might be." She sighed.

"Why is it your job to find this out again?" He asked.

"I promised to protect Arthur, and this is the only way I know how to do that without being there." She explained.

"Wait a minute.. Arthur? Blondie who watched you kick my ass? As in Prince Arthur?!" Gwaine suddenly twigged on. She had told him his name, and he knew she had been in Camelot, but had never put the two together. "Let him rot." He growled.

"What is your problem?" Merlyn snapped.

"I just have a thing against nobility." He took the drink off the barmaid without so much as a 'thanks' before downing it in one go.

"Well I'm not too fond of them either, but Arthur's different."

"Why? Because of his blue eyes or his fluffy hair?" He imitated.

"Oh get a grip." She snapped. She'd had just about enough of this. "You know no one asked you to stick around." With that, she stood and headed over to the stables where they had settled their horses, deciding to spend the night in the tavern rather than out in the forest.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur sat at his desk, checking over some of the numbers and other documents when Morris entered his chambers.

"Sire? I have a letter for you." He said, holding out the letter in front of him.

"Whose it from?" He asked.

"I do not know, my Lord. A messenger came by with it and just said that it was for your eyes only."

"Thank you Morris." He dismissed the servant and waited until he was alone in the room before breaking the seal on the wax, which held the letter together. His heart skipped a beat when he recognised the handwriting.

_Arthur,_

_I have tracked down and spoken to several of the groups of bandits who have been plaguing the kingdom and have learnt some important information that you need to be made aware of. As of yet, the bandits do not know who they are looking for and to join with our information from the previous attacks the person is around the age of twenty and also has magic._

_The last meeting that I overheard confirmed some information that I began to suspect. There is a spy in the castle. Someone is giving information about possible sorcerers that the groups are going after. It must be someone close to the inner circle because there is no other way that that information could have been leaked._

_I know that you have no reason to trust me after what I did, but I needed to at least tell you. What you do with this information is up to you and I will do anything I can to find out who is behind this even though have I have a good idea who, as I believe you know._

_Stay safe,_

_M x_

He read over the words again and again until he had the letter memorized word for word. His thoughts were right, she had been tracking down the bandits, but it would also explain the lessened attacks on villages. They were becoming more careful, tracking individuals rather than just a description, which would mean looking at hundreds if not thousands of people.

The other news made his blood run cold. He knew exactly who she meant by the spy within the castle. Whoever Agravaine was going out of the castle to meet was passing along information to the bandit groups. Why were they looking for a sorcerer and why this specific one? They had looked through the records, and there was no one that had jumped out as a target, but perhaps crossing the records and the list of suspected magic users would help.

Standing from his desk, he locked the letter away in his desk. He didn't want someone to come across it. He left his chambers for the library, taking the latest list of suspected magic users with him. It was going to be a long night.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur stood watching his recruits as he did every morning. Leon was out of patrol, taking the early shift with Agravaine. Arthur had warned him about him sneaking off to and take note of anyone and everyone that he spoke with.

He watched as they all sparred, taking what he had told them and taught them before and trying it out. Each time they would do it, they would become better at it. His eyes kept flickering to Jamie.

Something inside him made him take notice on this young boy. The boy had dirty blonde hair and greyish eyes. He was no older than twelve, and was quite a bit smaller than the others. Many of his recruits wanted to join when they were his age, and he himself had started training when he reached double digits.

Unfortunately for Jamie, he would never make it to becoming a Knight; his family weren't of noble birth. He would rise to the rank of a guard, but nothing more. Sometimes, he hated that rule, because people like Lancelot, Percy and Elyan had all the skills of his Knights and more, but they were classed as lower because of their status.

Originally he created the new rank because it would allow Merlyn to join them and he saw her as an asset to their ranks, but meeting the others just enforced his belief that they were worthy of a position as Knight. But instead of being Knights, they were Warriors; the most elite fighters in Camelot.

Jamie had been knocked down again, but this time he stayed there. Arthur watched as he saw some of the other boys laughing and pointing at him. They were saying things to him, and he knew they weren't nice things. He'd stood and watched for long enough before deciding to do something.

"Jamie." He shouted over before strolling his way towards them. Everyone had stopped their sparing to look at the Prince. He wasn't wearing his usual chainmail, only a linen shirt and pants. His sword was standing up in the ground where he had been observing them.

Some of the boys who were the same age as Jamie sniggered as his eyes lowered to the ground in shame. He knew he wasn't very good and some of the other boys asked why he even bothered wanting to train. The ones who were sons of Knights and other nobles usually distanced themselves from those who weren't, and unfortunately for Jaime, he was on his own.

"Everyone, training is over for the day." He told them all. He waited until all of them had collected their things and headed from the grounds before he turned back to the boy who was sat on the ground. He could hear the boy's quiet sobs and his heart broke.

"I'll get my things.." He tried to not let the sobs overtake his body as he stood up.

"Can I tell you a story?" Arthur asked, getting him to look up at him for a second. Jamie shrugged his shoulders, certainly not about to tell the Prince no. Arthur crouched down so he was looking up into the boys face. "Many years ago, there was a boy, just like you. He was smaller than the other boys, and he was singled out most of the time. He turned up for training every day no matter what anyone told him or how bad they thought he was. He wasn't strong enough to hold a shield properly, and the swords were too long, but he still came back."

"What happened to him?" His timid voice asked.

"Well.. He grew taller, broader, and stronger both physically and mentally. But the one thing that made him special was his determination. He didn't give in when everyone expected him to. Every time he got knocked down, he did the exact same thing I've seen you do. He got up, brushed off the dust and started again. Every time he did that, he became stronger."

"Did he ever do it? Did he ever become a Knight?" He asked again, shy around the man he looked up to more than anyone.

"Yes, he did." Arthur smiled. "He became the best Knight in Camelot."

Arthur could see that he wanted to say something, so waited until he had the courage to say it.

"No, he didn't." Jaime said, shaking his head. "You're the best Knight in Camelot." His head lowered again in defeat.

Arthur smiled a little before he continued. "I guess I forgot to mention why he used to be singled out." Jamie looked up once more. "He was a Prince."

Jamie's eyes widened. "Really Sire?" He asked. "You were like me?"

"I was. Probably worse in fact." Arthur nodded. "The reason I told you that Jamie, is that just because the others are stronger, faster and can handle a weapon better, you have something that none of them have. You have heart; so don't give up on that. You'll be a great Knight one day, Jamie."

"But I'm not a noble." His tears formed in his eyes.

Arthur paused for a moment thinking about how to phrase what he wanted to say before speaking again.

"It's not who you are, it's what you do that makes you noble." Arthur told him. "The law may stop you becoming a Knight, but you shouldn't let that stop you trying." Jamie nodded. "You remember Merlyn?"

"Yeah, she was cool. I saw the final of the tournament when you beat her." He said.

"You think that the fact that she's a girl and not noble stopped her?" He asked. Jamie shook his head. "Just keep trying and one day you could be as good as me."

"Thank you Sire." It was the first time that Arthur had seen him smile.

"Now you'd better get some rest. I expect you back here tomorrow bright and early."

"But sire, we don't have practice tomorrow." He told him confused.

"I know." The smile on Jamie's face grew, as he understood what the Prince was telling him. "And Jamie.." Arthur said before he went on his way. Jaime turned to look at him, his faith newly restored. "My friends call me Arthur."

Jamie's grin only grew and before Arthur could do anything, two arms wrapped around his neck, his body nearly knocking Arthur off balance. Smiling, Arthur hugged him back before pushing him away a little. "Just not in the company of the King." He winked. Jamie grinned and nodded. "Now go on. I'll see you tomorrow."

Jamie ran over to his things before running away smiling into the lower town. Arthur stood to his full height and saw Morgana not too far away smiling at him. Walking over, he collected his sword on his way to his sister.

"That was a nice thing you did for him." She smiled at him. "Who knew you were a softy at heart."

"I wasn't being soft." Arthur rolled his eyes. "Everything I told him was true. You never saw me when I started out."

"If only I had, I would have so much more to tease you with." She grinned as they walked side by side into the castle.

"Are you alright? You look a little pale." He commented, taking a proper look at her.

"I'm fine. Just haven't been sleeping properly." She shrugged off his concern.

"Like when you were a child?" He asked, remembering the times she would sneak to his room whenever she had a nightmare. She nodded. "Perhaps you should go and see Gaius again. He could give you something." He suggests. She shrugged as they continued their journey inside.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Lying on the forest floor as the ashes of the dying fire crackled, the two occupants of the small campsite slept in peace. A loud roar projected into her mind as she was shocked awake with a gasp.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morgana shot up out of bed, gasping for breath. A roar came from outside as she bolted to the window. Her eyes widened in fear. It was happening, her nightmare was coming true.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The moon was high in the sky when Arthur sprung awake by the sound of the warning bell. A loud roar filled the air. He jumped out of bed and ran to the window. His eyes widened in shock as fire burned through parts of the town. He watched as something landed on one of the towers across the castle from him, fire spewing out of its mouth into the air. The flames illuminated the creature as it roared. He gulped as his face paled. Dragon.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please review.. That's the end of Part I (basically establishing the main characters and learning the truth about Merlyn).. But Part II begins in the next chapter!..**


	16. Chapter 15: Heeding the Call

A/N - Thanks for all the reviews :).. Part I is over, but Part II is right here :).. I felt like the first half of the story was over (the finding out the truth about Merlyn and her past) and so now begins the building of relationships to a greater extent.. And for Merlyn to learn that she is becoming part of something rather than being a lone wolf.. I know it's early but I finished editing it (and changing quite a bit of it) so I decided 'why wait?'.. So here you go :D

Guest - Thanks for the review!.. Questions will be answered in this chapter :).. x

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Part II**

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 15 – Heeding the Call**

"Merlyn! Where are you going?!" Gwaine grumbled as she rushed around the campsite as the first rays of light hit the ground. He was lying underneath his blanket beside the burnt out campfire that they had been using. He made no attempt to move as she packed away her belongings.

"Camelot." She simply said and she stuffed everything into her saddlebag. She hadn't fallen back asleep since being shocked awake. Something deep within her called out to her as if in pain. She had waited until the sun had begun to rise before quickly going around packing away all of her things.

"Why? What's so important that you need to rush off?" He asked, confused as to why it was suddenly important. He hadn't seen her like this in their months of travelling together. He wouldn't admit it but she was the first person that he would actually call a friend.

"Look, I can't explain it. Something's wrong and I need to be there." She turned to him. "I can't explain it any better than that." She attached the saddlebags to Taika before she looked back at Gwaine who was still lying on his bedroll. "I'm sorry, but if you ever decide to venture to Camelot, come and find me. We could use fighters like you." She wouldn't ask Gwaine to come with her, especially at this time. Alone she could get there much quicker.

"What about this fight you had with Blondie that made you worried to return?"

"It's just something I am going to have to deal with. No matter what happens, they need me there." She stated, mounting Taika. "Goodbye Gwaine. I hope we meet again." With that, she left a very confused looking Gwaine alone in the forest. He grumbled as his head fell back against the bedroll, shutting his eyes to get some more rest.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"How the hell did that thing escape?" Uther bellowed into the great hall as Arthur stumbled in looking worse for wear. The only people in the room were Morgana, Agravaine, Gaius and Leon who had walked in a step behind Arthur.

Morgana sat looking more agitated than the rest of them. She couldn't tell them that she had nightmares about the exact thing that was happening a few nights ago. Arthur had been out all night with the Knights trying to defend the city against the beast, but nothing they seemed to do affected the creature.

"You knew that dragon was here?!" Arthur asked in disbelief. His wariness changed in a flash into anger towards his father. Since Merlyn had come to Camelot, she had made him look at things differently than he had before. Before he would never have dared to question the King or his motives, but now things were different. He could see how quickly someone could turn their allegiances, and how someone close to you could betray you.

"Of course I knew." Uther spat back at him. "It was chained as an example at the beginning of the Purge."

"What a brilliant example it is now!" Arthur shouted back. "Now it's going around killing us all!"

The look Uther gave his son could have frozen the darkest pits of hell. "Don't you dare speak to me like that. I am your father, and more importantly your King." He sneered. "I could have you thrown in the dungeons."

"Like it or not, that dragon is gaining it's revenge of being locked up by killing and destroying the city. Our people are dying and unless we find a way to stop it, this place will be destroyed by the end of the week." Arthur argued, ignoring his father's threat. "Gaius, is there a way to stop it?"

Gaius was stood at the edge of the room, silently watching until he was consulted. "Dragon's are creatures of the Old Religion and very few of them left. The only way I know to control a dragon is by the use of a Dragonlord."

"That is out of the question." Uther began to pace.

"Why? If there is a chance to call off this dragon and save the kingdom…" Arthur began to question.

"Because there are none left." Uther halted him. "They were hunted down in the Purge."

Silence filled the room. No one spoke for a few minutes as Arthur sat in one of the chairs around the table, opposite where Gaius was stood. Thoughts flooded through his mind trying to come up with any sort of idea of how to get themselves out of this situation.

"Then how do we kill it." He asked.

"Arthur, you can't be serious." Morgana looked at him wide eyed. "You can't kill a dragon!"

Arthur made eye contact with his sister. "What choice do we have?" He asked. "We've got a dragon hell bent on revenge and no way to stop it because killing anyone who could possibly control it was a good idea." He responded sarcastically. Normally he held his comments in, but he was shattered and his body ached.

"Arthur!" Morgana chastised him. "Arguing about the past won't help our current situation."

"Gaius." Uther address the physician. "Is there any way to kill a dragon?" He asked, ignoring his children.

"I am not sure my Lord. The only way I have heard of was with the use of a Dragonlord." Gaius concluded.

"Brilliant." Arthur muttered under his breath. His gaze turned on Agravaine. "You are being awfully quiet Uncle. Do you have any idea how the dragon escaped?" His glare was accusing. He didn't trust the man as far as he could throw him.

"I am afraid I do not." He answered, taken back a little by Arthur's tone.

Arthur pushed back on his chair, before heading towards the doors. "Where are you going?" Uther shouted at him.

Arthur spun around. "To clean up and get as much rest as I can get. Because when that dragon attacks again, and it will, I will be there to fix my father's mistakes." He stormed out of the room, knowing that he would be paying for that one later.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morgana paced her chambers. She was beyond exhausted, but she was terrified to close her eyes. She knew it was un-rational, but what if she had caused this. Gwen walked into the room, and saw her pacing. She knew she hadn't been sleeping well recently, but she had to rest.

"You should be resting, Morgana." Gwen told her.

"Oh Gwen." She sobbed, collapsing on her bed. Gwen rushed over to her.

"What is the matter?" Gwen asked, rubbing her back.

"I saw this happening. I knew and I didn't say anything." She sobbed.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked confused.

"My dreams. It's happening again." She cried. "When I was a child, I had nightmares and little things that I dreamt about came true. But this, its exactly like my nightmare. I saw this happening."

"Morgana, listen to me. This is not your fault. You can't have seen this coming, its just coincidence." Gwen assured her. "Look, I will go and get a sleeping draft from Gaius. You need to rest."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn stopped Taika for a small rest. They were still in the forest, and she knew that she wouldn't get to Camelot before the next day at the earliest, even if she rode through the night.

She remembered the roar that woke her. Something was wrong and she hating not being there. Something must have happened if she could feel it through her magic so far away. She just hoped that everyone she cared about was alright.

Setting off riding again, she exited the forest. Eyes scanning the horizon, she saw the sky getting darker as night overtook the sky. She'd have to stop for the night soon.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Seal the citadel!" Uther ordered as people swamped into the city and the citadel to get protection from the dragon. This was the second night of attacks from the dragon and it didn't look as though it was going to stop anytime soon.

"You can't!" Morgana shouted to him. "There are still people out there!" She and Gwen were helping Gaius to patch people up who were injured.

"It is a risk we must take." He told her.

"If you do this, you are sentencing them to death." She argued.

"So be it." Uther hissed at his daughter before heading off.

Morgana searched around desperately for any sign of Arthur. He would know what to do. She found him being tended to by Gaius for a deep cut in his side where he was hit by a piece of debris.

"Arthur!" She rushed over. "The King's ordered for the Citadel to be closed. Arthur, he's killing hundreds of people." She pleaded with him.

Standing up, he winced. "Sire, you can't go back out there in this state." Gaius protested as his wound protested.

"Gaius, I have to. If I don't fight then who will?" Gaius quickly put a bandage over the cut. It would do little to stop the bleeding but it would have to do for now.

Rushing as fast as he could to the courtyard, he could only watch as the doors to the city were shut. Seeing the King, he saw red. "Open the gates!" He ordered. Uther glared at him. "You are killing all those people out there."

"I have a duty to protect this kingdom." Uther sneered. "If we allow anymore in then we are all dead."

"You brought this on this kingdom. Why is fair that they die and you survive? Open the gate." For the first time, Uther saw hatred in his son's eyes. Guards looked between the Prince and the King, unsure of what to do. Uther looked at the guards and nodded.

Arthur quickly turned from the King to his men, including Percy, Elyan and Lance. "Find as many survivors as you can and bring them back. We have to save as many people as possible." They nodded in agreement before they all rushed to the lower town.

-x-x-x-x-x-

She saw smoke bellowing into the air as she rode closer to Camelot. This wasn't good. The dragon was out, and it was getting its' revenge. She pushed Taika as hard as she could go. The closer she got to the city, the more damage she saw. The ground was scorched, villages nearby were torched and she could see smoke coming out of one of the towers of the castle. Riding through the lower town, her eyes wandered in disbelief. How could the dragon do this?

Dismounting Taika, she let the horse go. She automatically went to her stable without guidance. Merlyn stood in the middle of the courtyard, looking at all the damage that was done. "Merlyn!" She heard her name being called. Turning she saw Morgana running towards her. "Oh thank god you are alright." She sighed as she hugged her tight.

"What's going on?" Merlyn asked. She had guessed, but she needed to know.

"Uther had a dragon chained below the castle and somehow it escaped. It's attacked for the past two nights. We aren't going to hold out much longer. We've taken in as many people as possible, but there isn't enough food to protect them for long." She cried. She had been up all night and her emotions were all over the place.

"Where's Arthur?" She asked.

"He's being treated by Gaius." She said. Merlyn's face turned to panic, which Morgana caught quickly. "He's fine. Just a small cut. They are in the Great Hall."

"Get some rest Morgana." Merlyn told her. Morgana sighed and nodded before walking off in the direction of her room in a daze.

Merlyn walked into the hall and what she saw shocked her. There were so many people, wrapped in blankets, being treated and shaking in fear of the dragon. Her eyes scanned for anyone she recognised and her eyes landed on Gaius, tending Arthur. She made her way over.

Arthur was lying down, his eyes closed as Gaius was stitching up the wound from last night as well as a couple more that he got while he was searching the city and dodging the dragon's attacks.

"Need a hand?" She offered, getting Gaius' attention. Arthur's eyes flew open and looked at her in shock.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, not believing his eyes.

"Looks like you could do with some help." She gave him a small smile, still not sure how he will react to her. She guessed that he hadn't told anyone of her betrayal by the way Morgana was with her outside.

"Can you finish stitching him up?" Gaius asked, deciding to leave questioning Merlyn until later. "And clean those wounds." Merlyn nodded as she was handed the needle that was part way through closing the wound.

Arthur stayed lying down, not wanting to pull on the thread as she worked. The look of concentration on her face mixed with her worry was something he had never seen before.

"Where've you been?" He asked her softly, not wanting to startle her.

She looked up, meeting his eyes. "Travelling." She simply told him. "Tracking down bandits."

"Have you found out anything else?" He asked, leaving the big things they needed to talk about until a time when their lives weren't in danger.

"Nothing that wasn't in that letter." She assumed that he had gotten her letter and her suspicions were confirmed when he nodded. "How did the dragon escape?" She asked, changing topics.

"You knew about the dragon?" He asked, accusingly.

"I saw Morgana outside." She quickly explained.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling Agravaine has something to do with it." He admitted. "I looked into things while you were away." She continued to sew as he spoke. "You were right." He sighed. "About everything."

"Let's not talk about that now." She told him. It wasn't the time or place for that conversation. "We have to find a way to stop the dragon." She finished off the stitches, and cut the thread. "I need to clean those." She pointed to the other small cuts, which covered his torso. None of them needed stitches; they were mere scrapes.

"Leave them. They aren't important." He tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down by her.

"Stop being stubborn, Arthur Pendragon and lie still." She ordered him. She collected a small bucket of water and a cloth before she wiped away all of the blood. It didn't take long, and soon he was cleaned. Arthur had laid in silence, watching her as she worked. Something about her was different from when she had first left. Surprisingly she felt more.. relaxed. "Done." She announced, putting the cloth away, allowing him to sit.

Turning to his side, he picked up his dirty shirt, putting it over his head. Merlin was about to protest about the shirt, but then knew that there were more important things to sort out than his horrible ruined shirt that would no doubt infect his wounds. "I'll go and change it later." He knew what she was thinking without her having to say it.

"Arthur, the King is looking for you." Lance quickly appeared, doing a retake when he saw Merlyn. "Merlyn?"

"She'll explain later." Arthur quickly told him, before grabbing Merlyn's hand, dragging her along with him.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"What is she doing here?" Agravaine snapped when he saw Merlyn walk in behind Arthur to his father's study.

"We can't have another night like last night. We won't last." Arthur said, ignoring his uncle. They discussed possible solutions, but nothing that could work.

"Gaius said it cannot be done without a Dragonlord." Agravaine announced. Merlyn's ears pricked up at this information as they were discussion the possibilities of killing the dragon.

"Well we have to do something or we will all be dead." Uther nodded in defeat. There was no other way, and he knew it. Without another word, Arthur and Merlyn left his office.

"What's the thing about the Dragonlord?" Merlyn asked when they arrived in his chambers.

"Gaius said something about a Dragonlord being able to control a dragon but my father had them all killed in the Purge." He sighed as he removed his shirt.

"Is there no other way?" She asked.

"Not that we can see but if I do nothing, everyone is sure to die." He replaced the shirt before throwing his old one in the corner on the floor.

"You need to get some rest. You're dead on you feet." She told him.

"How can I rest when my people are suffering?" He asked.

"They need you to be rested if we are going to stop the dragon. You're no use to them dead."

He sat on the edge of his bed before falling backwards. "Do you think we can really stop it?" He asked.

"I think we'll give it our best shot." When she looked down on him, his eyes were closed. She smiled a little before exiting his room. He needed his rest.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Gaius.. I need to talk to you." Merlyn went back to the Great Hall. She needed answers.

"Gwen, take over this for me." He told the young servant. Gwen smiled at Merlyn, but decided against saying anything as Merlyn lead Gaius away to a secluded part of the hall.

"Arthur mentioned something about a Dragonlord being able to stop the Dragon. How?" She asked.

"They can control them. I don't see how this will help. Your father was the last living Dragonlord." Gaius explained.

"The power of the Dragonlord is passed down in generations, only activated by the parent's death. I am the last Dragonlord." She told him.

He looked in shock. "Then there may be hope for us yet."

"How do I control it?" She asked.

"I don't know. The Dragonlords keep their secrets to themselves. Very little is known of them, not even how they pass on their powers as you just told me."

"So I am the only one who can stop this, and have no idea how to do it.. Brilliant.." She sighed.

"What are you going to do?"

"I have no idea."

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Kilgarrah!" Merlyn shouted as she came to a stop a little while outside of the sight of Camelot. "Kilgarrah!" The sound of wings caught her attention as the figure of the dragon came into her view. It landed, a fire burning in its eyes.

"Stop this! Why are you doing this?" She shouted at him.

"I have been kept prisoner for ten years!" The dragon spoke, anger evident in its voice.

"You told me that revenge does you nothing but make it hurt more. You told me of a destiny to bring magic and non magic creatures together and I believed you." She told it. "I believed you and you were right. That is a future I want, a future without wars and without being afraid to be who I really am." The dragon sat and listened to her. "You stopped me getting my revenge, and even now I stand across the room from the man who killed my family and I do nothing because it will jeopardize everything that I am working to create, and now you are doing the same."

"I am sorry young witch. You are right. My anger got the better of me when it should not have done." The dragon lowered its head in shame. "I will do whatever you wish, for you are my master now."

"You will never attack Camelot again." She told him firmly. "Be free."

"Thank you, Merlyn." It bowed its large head, showing her the respect that came with being a Dragonlord.

"I need you to do something for me." She told it, coming up with an idea in her head.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur stood on the top step in the courtyard speaking to his knights below. He needed a group with him to face the dragon when it attacked the city that night.

"Those who choose to join me, know that I cannot guarantee your safety. The only way to end this is to kill the dragon. It will not be an easy task." The Knights began to look at each other at the revelation of what their leader had planned.

Leon looked Arthur in the eyes as he stepped forward. Arthur nodded to his old friend, expecting nothing less of the man who was just as dedicated to the Kingdom as he was. Lance stepped up and joined him, who was followed by Elyan and Percy at the same time. Each of his Knight's pledged their allegiance to their Prince.

"Good luck, and god speed." They went to the armory to prepare themselves

Merlyn turned to the armory when a hand on her arm stopped her. Turning to face Arthur, she looked into his tired face. "Just incase this is the last chance I get, I want you to know.. that I forgive you.. for everything." He gave her a sad smile.

She returned his smile before she pulled him into a hug, which took him by surprise. "This won't be the last chance you get, but thank you. I don't deserve your forgiveness." He held her tight as Leon looked on and smiled a little.

-x-x-x-x-x-

They lined up around the city of Camelot. The sun was just below the horizon and darkness loomed. They waited for the dragon to make its appearance.

Flapping of wings filled the air as the dragon flew over the top of where they were.

"Now!" Arthur shouted, which resulted in some of the knights throwing lances towards the flying beast, catching it's attention.

Roaring, it turned around. Merlyn stared it dead straight in the eye as it let out a blast of fire towards them. They rolled out of the way, dodging the fire.

"Merlyn!" Arthur called out in panic, only to let out a sigh of relief when he saw that she was alright. The relief was broken when the dragon landed in front of them. Spears were thrown towards the beast, none of them penetrating the thick scales.

Merlyn nodded towards the dragon giving him a signal. She made sure no one was looking before her eyes turned gold for a second as a spear that had been thrown by Arthur planted itself into the dragon's side. It roared in pain before quickly flapping it's wings, knocking all of the Knight's off their feet. With that, the dragon flew off, away from Camelot. Kilgarrah would be fine. The wound would heal quickly, not that anyone else would know that. Looking over to Arthur, she headed over after getting back to her feet. He was looking at the retreating form of the dragon as his men started standing behind them.

"Do you think it will be back?" Arthur asked, almost worried for her answer as he stood.

"It looked in a lot of pain." She admitted. "I don't think it will be back anytime soon."

"It's over." She nodded. It was.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The night passed with no attack, much to the relief of the villagers. The Knights stayed on guard all night just to make sure, but soon they were celebrating the demise of the dragon. Arthur felt like he could pass out at any moment from exhaustion, and Merlin was feeling a little tired as well. She had decided to head back up to her old room to get some rest when Arthur called her name.

"Merlyn!" He jogged over towards her, before stopping in front of her. "You are staying, right?" He asked, almost nervous about her answer.

"Yes, I'm staying." She gave him a smile. "Someone's got to keep you out of trouble."

"Me? Trouble?" He grinned. "It's good to have you back, Merlyn."

"It's good to be back." She smiled.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Standing in the darkened forest, Agravaine stood, waiting for his contact. A blonde appeared out of nowhere behind him.

"Were you successful?" She asked him.

Agravaine swung around quickly. "It didn't work." He snapped. "You're plan failed. I let the dragon escape; only the Dragonlord didn't come. Arthur managed to wound it and it flew away. So you're plan to lure Emyrs to us failed."

"Perhaps not." The woman replied. "Maybe the dragon has flown to be with it's master."

"Can you find them?" He asked.

"We will lure Emyrs out another way." He nodded, accepting her plan. "Something else troubles you?" She asked.

"It's Arthur. Somehow I think he knows that it is me behind all of this. How, I do not know, but he seems to be suspicious of everything I do." He confided. "That and his friend, Merlyn is back it seems."

"If they find out your intentions then this is over." She warned him. "My employer will not accept failure." He nodded before she disappeared in a whirlwind.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The Dragon attack had devastated parts of the city. The lower town was nearly in ruins whereas the castle needed some major repairs. Gaius had been spending a lot of time treating those with injuries while the Knights were doing everything they could to help the people rebuild the city.

Arthur was walking around the areas of ruins that had once been the lower town and sighed at the sight. They still had no idea how the dragon managed to escape and he himself could still not believe that his father had forgotten to mention to him that it was even under the castle to begin with. He stopped his walk and looked around. This place hadn't exactly been the best place to live in the city, but it was home to so many.

"Arthur!" He heard Merlyn calling him. Turning around, he watched as she approached him. "Hey." She said as she stopped in front of him. "I did some digging."

"About what?" He asked, before they started to make their way back to the castle.

"About how the dragon escaped." She explained. "I went down…"

"Hold on." He said stopping mid step, and turned to her. "You knew about the dragon?"

"What that it was below the castle? You didn't?" She questioned.

"No!" He exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I thought you knew." She shrugged. "I found the door down to the chamber during the first week I was here."

"Show me this chamber."

x-x-x-x-x

Taking careful step down the tunnel, Arthur couldn't believe that he never knew about this place. As a child, he had found all of the different nook and crannies in the castle, but he had never come across this.

"Unbelievable." He grunted as they stepped out into the main area. "All this time, it has been chained down here." He spotted the broken chain across the way. "I guess the chain gave way." He sighed.

"That's what I thought to begin with." She said, before carefully stepping around the edge of the cave.

"What do you mean?" He followed her carefully, as one slip could end in a nasty fall.

"Look." She said crouching down to where they chain was lying on the ground. Arthur bent down and examined it.

"It's been cut." He commented. "Someone freed it."

She nodded. "It would take one hell of a blade to break that chain." She looked at him, waiting for him to finish whatever he was thinking about. "Who knew about the dragon being here? You know where I am going with this."

"You think it was Agravaine." She nodded.

"It's not like it would be the first time he would do something like this."

"But what would he have to gain from releasing the dragon except from seeing Camelot destroyed?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know. Maybe he thought he could control the dragon?" She suggested.

"We need to keep a closer eye on him."

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please review! x**


	17. Chapter 16: At the End of the Rainbow

_A/N - Someone asked me about the relationship between Arthur and Merlyn. Because of the nature of the story, she can't just go from hating him to loving him quickly, so their relationship has been slowly developing throughout **Part I** of the story and will escalate fairly quick in **Part II**. But here's a quick summary of all the important things that has happened between them._

She wanted to kill him, but then sometimes makes her save him instead. She accepts his job to stay close to find out all she can about the attack on her village. She begins to question his motives and where his loyalties lie. He is suspicious of her, but respects her after she helps save the girls.

She is angered by Arthur's attempts to protect her. She meets Agravaine, focusing on her hate and pushes everyone away again. But when Arthur is poisoned she begins to feel guilty. Their friendship begins to grow with their banter and sparing matches. She begins to feel a loyalty to Arthur when Mordred shows up. They still get into heated arguments with guilty feelings spilling over.

Then the first big break in their relationship. She trusts him enough to tell him about her family, which she has never told anyone before and he begins to truly understand her, taking their friendship to another level. Arthur starts to become jealous when Percy arrives and she spends time with others instead of him. Their rivalry and friendship is shown throughout the tournament.

When they are captured he feels betrayed by her when the truth comes out, but staying together is the only way for them to get out alive, and he owes her for saving his life in the beginning. When she leaves him he is angry because he can't get the answers he wants from her. Their time apart gives Arthur time to accept her betrayal before understanding it and investigating before forgiving her while she looks to come to terms with things and to find a way to let go of her hatred and guilt over that night. While apart they are both questioned on their relationship, which gets them both thinking.

_So that's how they've gone from hatred to friends to possibly something more. Their relationship does grow quicker now, and thoughts begin to circle with the next chapter :)._

_Thanks for the reviews! x_

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 16 – At the End of the Rainbow**

In the months that followed the dragon attack, the city was slowly being rebuilt. The Knights had helped out as much as they could, helping out surrounding villages that had been attacked as well.

Despite having given Merlyn his forgiveness, he still found himself wondering what she was doing and mentally taking note of everything she did. He did trust her, but something she caught him as off. Something was nagging him. He let it go, but was keeping a closer eye on her.

Merlyn slept peacefully in her bed. It had been a hard day of shifting rubble from the lower town, which was still being sorted, and training. Arthur had taken it upon himself to train a young boy, Jamie. He was one of the recruits, but Arthur saw something else in him. Merlyn had stayed and watched him a couple of times, but she couldn't see anything past the way he tried to fight.

"_Merlyn.. Merlyn.."_ Her eyes shot open. Sighing, she got up and out of bed. He wouldn't be calling unless it was important, otherwise he would be a dead dragon.

x-x-x-x-x

Sneaking out of the castle was the easiest thing she could do. There were so many ways in and out that weren't guarded. She should probably let Arthur know about a few of them because it could be a real problem if anyone were to be attacked, but for now they were her secret ways. She had found a tunnel that lead from the dragons cave that lead into the forest so this was her main way in and out of the castle.

Coming to the field, she stood and waited for a moment until the dragon made its presence known. Landing gracefully on the grass, the dragon stood tall and proud. It really was a magnificent creature.

"Couldn't this have waited until the morning?" She asked, yawning as she did so.

"I am afraid not, young witch. I fear something grave is on the horizon." The dragon told her.

"It's late, can we not have the riddles and just tell me what's going on." She grumbled.

The dragon chuckled, before abiding by her request. "There is a temple of the old religion deep in the Feorre Mountains. This is one of the three places where the veil to the underworld is at its most vulnerable. I have felt the power of another sorceress and I fear that an attempt to break the veil may be fast approaching."

"What would happen if the veil was broken?" She asked.

"The dead could once again roam the earth." Merlyn thought for a moment, but the Dragon seemed to know what she was thinking. "The world would become a dark place, and the spirits of the dead would suck all of the life out of the living."

"What do I have to do to stop it?" She asked.

"You have to stop the witch from completing the ritual. Once the veil is broken, there is very little that can close it again." She nodded. "Good luck, young witch." With that, the dragon opened its huge wings and rose into the sky.

She stood and thought over Kilgarrah's words. After a little while, she headed back to the tunnel entrance.

x-x-x-x-x

"Gaius? Have you ever heard of a temple in the Feorre Mountains?" She asked as she skimmed over several maps that lay in Gaius' quarters.

"Yes, the temple to the underworld. Why do you ask?" He questioned.

"The dragon told me that someone was going to try and break the veil between the worlds… Aha!" She announced as she spotted the temple in one of the old maps.

"That is a worrying prospect." Gaius thought. "How are you going to stop it?" He asked.

"First, I have to get away from Camelot for a few days. I'm not sure Arthur is going to like it very much." She studied the map.

"Well, you are lucky he is trusting you as it is." He warned her. Since she had been back, she had confessed to Gaius the real reason why she came to Camelot and the reason she had left Arthur after they were captured. He was shocked to begin with, but then little things that she had done had started to make sense. He saw the shame that she had for herself when she spoke, and he knew that she wasn't the person that she once believed herself to be.

"I know, but he's going to have to trust me." She said, making a magical copy of the map, before folding it away and heading for the door.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Gwen spotted Merlyn as she made her way around the castle doing chores. What Morgana had told her the other night was playing on her mind. She didn't believe that this was Morgana's fault, but was it really just a coincidence?

"Merlyn!" She called, hurrying over a little to catch up with her. Merlyn paused and waited for her. "There is something I need to talk to you about. Is there some time we can talk?" She asked.

"I'm just going to see Arthur. I need to go out of town for a few days. Can it wait until I get back?" She asked. She knew that if Gwen was seeking her out for something that she guessed that she was, and then it must be important.

"It can wait." Gwen smiled reassuringly.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Entering Arthur's chambers, she didn't bother knocking. "Arthur I.." She paused for a second as Arthur stood there just putting his shirt on. Quickly recovering she ignored the slight smug look on his face as he saw the affect he had on her. "I've got to go away for a few days."

"Why?" He questioned, shirt now in place.

"There's been a development in some information that I received and I need to go and check it out." She simply told him. She couldn't exactly tell him that the dragon that was meant to be dead told her specifically about a threat, a magical one at that.

"What information?" He asked, collecting his weapons from the table, hiding daggers in his boots.

"A possible lead on a group of bandits in the East, across in Cenred's Kingdom." She simply stated. He knew that she had been tracking the bandits while she was away, so it was a reasonable request.

"When do we leave?" He asked.

"Arthur…"

"No, either we both go, or neither of us go. Your choice." He stood his ground. He trusted her, but he didn't completely trust that she was telling him the whole truth.

"What about the King?" She asked. "He won't be happy with you leaving."

"Let me deal with the King." He told her. "Be ready to go in an hour." Sighing, knowing she had no other choice, she agreed. She had to come up with a plan to get away from him for a while.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Coming to a stop in a town, they made their way to the tavern for the night. They were at the base of the mountains, and as far as Merlyn knew, the temple wasn't very far away. She could easily get there and back if she left in the middle of the night without Arthur knowing. Luckily for her, she knew someone close by who could give her some information about the bandits, so that Arthur wouldn't become suspicious when they just left to return back to Camelot in the morning.

"Have you got any rooms?" Arthur asked the bartender as they waited patiently.

"You and your wife are lucky, we have one left." He smiled at them.

Arthur was about to protest, before Merlyn jumped in. "Thank you." She smiled, passing him some money before pulling Arthur in the direction that he had pointed to.

Walking into the room, they stood and looked at what was in front of them. A bed. Neither one of them spoke. "Well, it's the only one left." Merlyn shrugged, before dumping her things on the floor at one side of the bed.

"Well.. I'll um.. sleep on the floor." Arthur looked around.

"Don't be ridiculous." She rolled her eyes at him. "There's more than enough space and I promise I won't bite."

"It's not exactly proper.." He still wasn't too sure of the idea.

"You will sleep in that bed with me because I am not having you whinging tomorrow about how your back hurts or anything else that you might come up with. So suck it up and deal with it. I'm going to the bathroom." She announced before walking over and into the en-suite that was attached to room.

Arthur put his bags down and sat on the bed. It could have been worse. He sat patiently and waited until Merlyn came out of the small room. She came out in a pair of loose trousers and an overly large tunic, with her armor in her arms. After placing them on the chair, she pulled back the quilt on the bed.

Arthur took his turn, and removed his chainmail and boots. Normally, he would sleep without his shirt on, but tonight he decided it would be better if he kept it on. Slipping into bed, he felt awkward. The candle was still burning on his table while she had blown hers out.

Blowing out the candle, they were in darkness. He shuffled down in the bed, and stared up at the ceiling. His mind wouldn't shut off the fact that he was sharing a bed with Merlyn.

"Arthur.." He heard her whisper. She was led on her side, with her back towards him.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"Stop thinking." He let out a little laugh, before rolling over. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

-x-x-x-x-x-

His breathing grew heavy, and he began to let out little snores. As quietly and softly as she could, she climbed out of the bed. Her magic helped her see her way around the room, making sure not to make a noise. Quietly she put on her boots, and picked up her blades. She didn't have time to put on her armor, and that would most likely wake Arthur up so she grabbed a woolen sweater out of her pack instead.

Tiptoeing across to the door, she opened it and prayed that it wouldn't squeak. It didn't, and she closed it gently behind her. The tavern was dark now, so she made her way out of the back door and off into the night.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The night's air was bitter, but it didn't stop her climb into the mountains. Wrapping her arms around herself more, she ventured upwards. It shouldn't take her long to arrive at her destination. According to the maps, the temple was up ahead. She didn't know what awaited her, only that something was happening, and that something was happening tonight.

Up ahead, she saw the outline of the temple in the moonlight. On closer inspection, she saw torches burning at the entrance. There was someone there.

Changing her footsteps to silent, she stepped into the temple's entrance. She stayed in the shadows, her favorite place. She saw two people stood at the other end of the temple, speaking to one another. One man, and one woman.

Looking around, she saw that torches lined the walls, and there would be no way she could get closer to listen in on what they were saying if she stayed on ground level. Glancing around, she saw a pillar ahead. There was a ledge running across the top of the pillars that lined the walls, covered in darkness. Seeing no other choice, she climbed as quick as she could, getting back into the shadows.

She crept closer, the two people in her focus. A small rock fell from the ledge, and she froze. The noise made the two people turn and look. Her heart froze. The man was Agravaine. Of course it was. She hissed to herself. The woman had blonde hair, which fell in curls down her chest. She was the sorceress. Merlyn had learnt to block emitting magic, but it seemed that this woman hadn't. Merlyn could feel the magic radiating from her.

"What was that?" Agravaine hissed, eyes searching for the source of the noise. He couldn't see anything.

"There is no one here." The woman told him in a commanding voice. Merlyn stopped moving when she was almost above them.

"Come on, get on with it." Agravaine hissed.

"Patience. The spell will not work if the moon is not high in the sky." The woman said.

"Morgause, you had better make it work. I only have a limited time." Agravaine was getting nervous.

"You searched me out, my Lord, because I am a high priestess. I did not gain that title for rushing something this important." She chastised him.

Just at that moment, moonlight filtered through a hole in the temple roof, lining up directly with a chalice that had been placed on the alter, and also an archway that was behind Morgause.

Morgause began to chant. Merlyn tried to listen to the words that she was saying, trying to understand what exactly she was doing. From what it sounded like, she was blessing the water in the chalice, and the blade. She was asking the gods permission to see into the other world.

The water began to rise out of the chalice, and filled the space in the archway. The spell was complete. There was nothing wrong with that, maybe the dragon was wrong.

But then Morgause took out a dagger, holding it out in front of her. She was enchanting the blade, allowing it to cross between the worlds. Merlyn quickly understood what she was going to do. She was literally going to cut the portal between worlds open.

Within a second, her eyes turned golden, and a lightning bolt struck the alter, breaking it in two. Morgause jumped back in shock, as did Agravaine.

"What is happening?" Agravaine yelled as dark clouds covered the moon and a rumble of thunder shook the ground. Morgause searched around, not seeing anyone. She tried to sense them, but she couldn't.

Merlyn whispered a spell, making the blade too hot to hold. Morgause dropped the dagger, it clattering to the floor. Her eyes flashed again and all of the torches that lined the temples walls flared up, and the ground shook.

The two of them bolted from the temple, Morgause disappearing in a whirlwind of magic.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur's eyes opened. It was still pitch black. He had been asleep for perhaps a couple of hours, which is more than he thought he would with Merlyn being beside him.

Taking a second for him to think, he looked at the empty space beside him. Shooting up in the bed, he looked towards the little bathroom. "Merlyn?" He called out. He couldn't hear any movement or anything. Looking around the room, he saw that her armor was still there, but her weapons were gone.

There was no way someone could have taken her. They would have had to go around him, and she would have put up a fight. No matter what way he looked at it, he would have woken. The only other explanation would be she left. But why?

He debated with himself whether to go out after her, but in the end, he decided that she left her things here, so she was coming back. But it didn't stop him worrying.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn gracefully jumped down from the ledge, landing perfectly from the 30ft drop. She walked over to the alter, sad that she'd had to break it. The dark clouds disappeared, and the thunder stopped, making the temple eerily silent once more. She bent down, picking up the blade. With a whisper of a spell, the blade disintegrated in her hands. She turned, and saw that the window between the worlds was still open.

Taking a step forward, she stood in front of the archway. It was misty, and she could hardly see anything, before a shadow appeared. She watched as the person came more into focus, and her heart stopped when she looked upon the man she hadn't seen in so long.

"Father.." Tears sprung to her eyes.

"I am proud of you, Merlyn." He smiled at her.

"How can you be after everything I have done?" She asked, tears rolling down her face.

"What I see before me is a woman who has had everything thrown at her, and has come through it stronger. You stand tall and fierce in the face of danger, and you are loyal no matter what the consequences. You put the world on your shoulders and you take it in your stride. Sometimes you may have stumbled and fallen, but you always get back on you feet." He told her, pride shining through.

"Don't let the past put a hold on your future. One day, you will get the revenge you seek, but don't let that push people away. You have so many people who care about you. You've let them scratch the surface, but it's about time you truly let them in." He smiled at her. "You and Arthur are two side of the same coin, and even though you might fight constantly, you are stronger together."

"I miss you." She sobbed.

"I miss you too, Little Bird. But now it is time for you to become the person you were always meant to be." He smiled at her. "I love you, my daughter."

"I love you too." With that, the fog encased him, before the water, which had turned into the window shattered, landing in a puddle on the floor, draining away. She stood and looked through the empty archway once more. Something inside her lightened as she wiped away her tears. It gave her strength, and she knew she could go on.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn opened the door to their room as silently as she had opened it when she had left. It was still dark, and there were still a couple of hours until sunrise.

"Where have you been?" Arthur's voice surprised her as she spun around wide eyed.

"What are you doing awake?" She asked, her heart beating fast as he made her jump, as her eyes adjusted to the dark once more. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was. Until I woke up and found you not here." He told her. "Where have you been?" He asked again. He was relieved that she was safe, but she shouldn't have been going off on her own.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk." She shrugged, walking around the bed to her side. She put her weapons down on the way, before pulling off the woolen jumper that she had put on.

"It's dangerous out there. There could have been wolves or thieves or something." He told her.

"Hence, why I took my swords." She countered him, as she slid into the bed. "I'm alright Arthur, I promise."

With that, she settled down back into the bed. Arthur watched her for a couple of minutes and was surprised at how quickly her breathing changed, indicating that she had fallen asleep. The walk must have done her some good, because she is always the last to sleep when they were on the road, if she even slept at all.

Taking one last look, knowing she was safe, he closed his eyes and fell into a peaceful slumber.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morning sun shone through the small window in their room. Arthur opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times, before trying to turn his head to get the sun out of his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was that he was extra warm, and the person that was making him extra warm was currently wrapped in his arms, with her head resting against his shoulder. His arm was around her shoulders and his hand was in her soft hair. Taking a moment to take it all in, it felt almost right.

His sense of peace was quickly shattered when he felt her waking up. She blinked a couple of times, before looking up at him. "Morning." She half whispered.

"Morning." He replied. He watched as she took note of their current position, but surprised when she didn't make any sort of deal about it. She simply sat up, and stood from the bed, going into the bathroom.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"So Morgana dreamt about the Dragon escaping, days before it happened?" Merlyn asked as she sat in Gwen's small front room.

"She said so." Gwen explained. "She was really worked up and I'm sort of worried about her. Do you think it could be some sort of magic?" She asked.

"I don't know." Merlyn admitted. "I will have to talk to Gaius about it, but can you keep an eye on her for me?" Gwen agreed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Feelings may be making their ways to the surface? Continue to read to find out! x**


	18. Chapter 17: Born to Rule

A/N - Thanks for the reviews! *hides* Here you go..

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 17 – Born to Rule**

"This is going to be so much fun." Morgana squealed as Merlyn lounged around in the Princess' room while Gwen was sorting out some washing for her.

"It's just a feast." Merlyn shrugged. She was less enthusiastic about the festivities that evening as the Princess was.

"Come on Merlyn! It's Arthur's birthday!" Morgana insisted. "Have you got him a present?" She asked eagerly.

"I got him something." Merlyn mumbled. She'd never really had any friends before, so the idea of buying a present was completely foreign to her. She didn't have a clue what she was getting for him, but eventually went with her instincts. She would have even less of an idea if it were for Morgana or Gwen.

"You have to tell me!" Morgana was certainly in a good mood today. Gaius had given her a sleeping draft after Merlyn had come to him about her concerns that she was developing some magical powers. He had told her that she had similar dreams as a child, and she probably had nothing to worry about. Merlyn had agreed to keep a close eye on her though, which is why she was currently in this predicament of being in the same room as Morgana as she was getting ready for the party that night.

"It's nothing really." She muttered, lying back on the bed, throwing an apple up into the air before catching it again.

"I have a brilliant idea." Morgana announced, eyes gleaming with excitement. The smile on her face told both Gwen and Merlyn that it wasn't good.

"What?" Gwen asked before the Princess turned and rummaged through her clothes. She picked out a deep blue dress and hung it on the door before turning back to the girls.

Morgana and Gwen shared a look, as Merlyn looked at the dress. It really was beautiful. She looked up and saw the shared looked, before she began to get nervous. "What?" She asked. The two took a step forward before she realized what they wanted. "Oh no.. No. No. No. No. No!" She sat up. "There is no way in hell you are getting me into that thing."

"Oh come on Merlyn. Think of it as a present to Arthur." Morgana pleaded.

"What so he can ridicule me for the rest of my life? I haven't worn a dress since I was a child and I'm not about to begin again now." She put her foot down.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn stood in front of the mirror, not believing what she was seeing in front of her. If she didn't know, she wouldn't have even recognized herself.

Her dark brown hair rested in their natural curls, falling down her back and covered her chest. A few curls were pinned back while the rest were left to hang free. Her normally clear skin was lightly masked with makeup around her eyes, bringing out the blue out of them. The dark blue dress hung to her as if it was made for her, making her assets more than noticeable as the dress hung down to the floor. Merlyn wasn't so sure about it, but she didn't have any other choice now.

She could see Gwen and Morgana brilliantly smiling in the mirror from behind her. She took a deep breath and turned around to face them. "Well?" She asked.

"You look beautiful!" Gwen almost started crying. Gwen was wearing her best dress as well, since she was actually invited as a guest to this party on Arthur's say so. He wanted all of his friends to be there to enjoy it rather than to serve them. This hadn't gone down too well with the King, but he allowed it seeing as it was his birthday after all.

Morgana was already ready as well as she went over to her jewellery box, and took out a necklace. "Here, wear this." She said, fixing the necklace around her neck.

"Morgana, I can't" She refused, looking at the dark blue sapphire stone that was attached to the necklace.

"Yes, you can." She argued. "It's a thank you from me for helping me recently. You're a good friend, Merlyn."

"Right, it's time the two of you went." Gwen announced.

Morgana took Merlyn by the arm as they made their way down to the great hall.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur politely spoke to some of the Lords as he waited for the banquet to begin. The night was ready for entertainers and dancing and everything that he should enjoy. He shared a quiet joke before his eyes scanned the room.

There was no sign of Morgana yet, which wasn't really a surprise since she liked to make an entrance. His father was still yet to be seen as was Merlyn. Leon, Lance, Percy and Elyan were all there and ready.

Merlyn being late was a surprise to him. He knew she didn't like these events, but she had promised him that she would come, even if it meant saving him from an evening of mingling with the daughters of the Lords that he always tried to avoid.

He spotted Gaius in the corner, speaking to one of the council members, so he decided to enquire about where she was. Normally where Gaius was, she wasn't too far behind.

"Gaius, have you seen Merlyn?" He asked him.

"I am afraid I haven't seen her all afternoon. She said she was going to see Morgana but she hasn't been back since." Gaius told him.

Arthur sighed, beginning to get the feeling that he was going to have to search the castle for her again. It really would just be easier to put a bell on her.

"Sire.." Gaius spoke, but his eyes were across the other side of the room. Arthur looked at him confused for a moment, before turning to look himself.

His eyes flashed to his sister as she walked gracefully into the room, with Gwen just a step behind her. Both of them wore huge grins as Morgana began to greet people and Gwen made her way over to where Lance and Elyan were stood.

But it was when he saw the person behind them that his heart was caught in his chest. Eyes wide in shock and he took in the sight before him. Walking in awkwardly and completely out of her comfort zone was Merlyn.

She felt everyone's eyes on her as she tried to shift back into the shadows. Everything about this had screamed bad idea, but when Morgana got an idea into her head, there was no going back.

She eyes flickered up, and met Arthur's. She saw the surprise on his face before her eyes glanced around to the other Knights. She cursed herself and blushed at the shocked looks on their faces. She had worked so hard to get respect from them, and now it would all disappear in one night.

She heard a cough to the side of her and looked up to see Percy stood, offering his arm to her. "My lady." He bowed a little. She smiled at him before being allowed to be dragged over to the side where the other Warriors were stood.

Morgana grinned as she walked over to Arthur who was still in shock. "She looks great doesn't she?" She grinned, watching as Merlin tried to get her cheeks back to normal colour.

"Yeah.." He replied in a dream state. His attention was taken when the King was announced.

"Wow, Merlyn, you look.." Elyan began to compliment her, but even he couldn't find the right words.

"Doesn't she just?" Gwen beamed with pride.

Merlyn glared at her before muttering something about a stupid idea.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The banquet was well underway as food was being eaten, wine was being drunk and a few dances were had. Merlyn kept herself to the edge of the room, glaring at any of the Knights whose eyes wandered. She cursed herself being persuaded into the current predicament. If only she could have watched Morgana from a distance, none of this would be happening.

"I'm going to get some fresh air." She grumbled to the guys before hurrying out the nearest exit into the Queen's gardens.

Walking out, the only noise came from the hall behind her. Taking a deep breath, she continued walking into the Gardens that Ygraine had loved so much when she was alive. She found a stone bench, and decided to sit for a while. The night sky was clear, and the stars shone brightly down, as moonlight cast a pleasant glow around. She was sat in peace for a while, before she felt someone's presence behind her.

"I wondered where you had gone." Arthur's voice cut through the silence as he walked around and sat beside her.

"Too hot in there." She shrugged, not even turning to look at him.

The two of them just sat in silence, happy to have the peace and quiet for a little while. Since their adventure to the mountains and waking up together, things had been slightly awkward between them. Neither of them would admit it, but they seemed to be slightly more comfortable with each other, which made no sense to them. They were comfortable and awkward at the same time.

Arthur started to realize after that morning at what Morgana had asked him a while ago. He may have felt betrayed by her for not telling him the truth about why she was in Camelot, but he couldn't honestly say that he wouldn't do the same after all she had been through. It was like a breath of fresh air when she had arrived. She was the only one who was allowed to say the things that she said to him without ending up in the stocks or the cells overnight. She made him feel more alive, and he loved his banter with her, but only when they didn't take it too far. The fire in her eyes when she fought or when she truly believed in something had lit something within him. But it was that morning, when he woke up with her in his arms that he knew. He was falling for her.

"They'll be looking for you." She said softly as time had passed.

"I doubt it. All too drunk to remember their own names." He laughed. "You look beautiful by the way." He smiled at her.

"Thanks." She muttered, blushing. "Morgana." She simply stated.

"Ah. My sister can be very persuasive." He chuckled.

"It just feels wrong, without my armor." She explained.

"Bet you still have at least two daggers on you though." He grinned.

"Three, actually." For the first time, she turned and looked at him, a smile gracing her features. "She tried to make me get rid of my boots, but it ended up a compromise." She laughed, lifting up her skirts to show him her usual leather boots.

He just laughed, shaking his head. "You coming back?" He asked.

"In a while." She smiled at him. His heart fluttered at her smile.

"Just promise me something." He began. "Save me a dance." She grinned before nodding to him. He leant forward and kissed the side of her forehead before he stood, and made his way back inside the hall. She smiled as she watched him go.

Despite how awkward she felt, somehow she now felt like it was worth it.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The people inside were all merry as the wine poured. The King himself got a little tipsy, and even cracked a joke or two during his speech. Arthur grinned, as did Morgana seeing their father in such good spirits.

The entertainers began the juggling, knife throwing and singing. Everyone was enjoying themselves, even Merlyn when she had rejoined everyone. The dancing had commenced.

Arthur watched as Morgana danced with Leon, the two of them whispering quietly to one another. He had known Leon all his life, and he trusted him with his sister. The two may have thought that they were being secretive with their feelings, but he wasn't that blind. They may not have admitted them to each other, but he could see the shared looks between them.

Lance and Gwen also seemed to be having a good time dancing together. Since his rescue of her, the two had almost been inseparable. He used to think that Gwen had a crush on him, but since Lance's arrival, all her attention had been focused on him. He was happy for the two of them.

Percy had dragged Merlyn onto the dance floor. She laughed and grinned along with her cousin, as they made fun of some of the nobles with their appearances. Percy had pointed out a woman who had stuffed tissues down the front of her dress, but hadn't realized that one was now bigger than the other, whereas Merlyn had spotted one of the Lords that was wearing a wig, but it was on back to front.

He watched that couple more than the others as he sat in his throne drinking wine. Since the last time when someone had tried to poison him, he had been extra careful over who he allowed to pour his wine. Now, he made sure that it was always Morris, who was now stood just behind his chair. He had danced earlier in the night, but had declined a few of the ladies saying he was tired.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Those Knights over there are looking at you." Percy told her, nodding his head in the direction of some of the knights at the corner of the room.

She groaned, remembering the last time that Sir Cador had tried anything at her first feast. "I need some air." She grumbled, wanting to be out of their sight.

"Do you want me to come with you?" He offered.

"No, I'll be fine." She smiled. "Why don't you ask Anna for a dance?" She nodded over to one of the Ladies who was stood by herself. She was a nice girl, one that Merlyn didn't feel the need to strangle, so it was better than most. She smiled as Percy headed over in her direction and watched as the smile grew on Anna's face.

She headed out into the garden's again, beginning to tire. She had barely made it to the entrance of the garden's when someone grabbed her around the waist.

She gasped, as the arm tightened around her and a hand covered her mouth. "Not got your Prince to come to your rescue now." The voice whispered in her ear. Anger boiled up inside her as she recognized the voice. He really was stupid at trying this again. She bit his hand, and he quickly let go of her, and she spun around to face him.

"Didn't you get the hint last time when I broke your wrist?" She asked, as Sir Cador looked up at her. She spat at the ground, trying to get rid of the taste of him. He took a step towards her, but she took a step back. He lunged at her, but she evaded him, but found herself trapped by a hedge.

"Nowhere to run this time." He sneered at her, stepping closer so that he was only inches from her. "You know this dress looks really good on you, but even better off you." Before he could do anything, she stamped her heel down on the inside of his foot. Using his distraction for a moment, she dug into her boots and took out two small daggers.

"Hey!" Cador spun in fear as Arthur's angry voice filled the air. "What do you think you are doing?" He demanded to know.

"Arthur.. Leave.." Merlyn growled, eyes focused on Cador with her daggers outstretched in front of her.

"Sire, I.." Cador looked scared as the Prince stepped forward.

"Guards!" Arthur called, and two guards quickly appeared by his side. "Put Cador in the cells." They chained the man's wrists together, before he was dragged before Arthur. "You will be stripped of your Knighthood and dismissed from duty." He was dragged away, leaving him and Merlyn in the entrance of the gardens.

He didn't move as she threw one of her daggers in anger past his head and embedded itself in the truck of the tree behind.

"Why the hell did you do that?!" She demanded, glaring at him in anger. "I had everything under control!" She yelled.

"Not from where I was standing." He shouted back.

"I don't need you to protect me! I thought I made that perfectly clear last time." She shouted.

"Well, obviously that worked." He replied sarcastically.

"Everything I worked for has been for nothing, because at the first sign of trouble, you jump in!" She growled. Throwing her arms around, she threw the other dagger to land beside the other in the tree. "Why do you always have to be the hero?!" She stormed up to him. "I don't need anyone to look out for me!"

He surged forward, not giving her time to react. He joined their lips as passion from their argument overtook his thoughts. He pulled her towards him, arms fixing around her waist as he ignored all his common sense and moved with instinct.

She froze. Her anger towards him built into something more. Her thoughts disappeared as she gave into the passion. The anger got the better of them, which wasn't unusual but was being released in a completely different way. Her arms shot up to wrap around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

She felt herself moving backwards and gasped as she felt her back hit the tree trunk behind her. Her gasp allowed him entrance as he delved into her mouth. He pushed her hard back into the tree as she held him tighter.

She tasted the wine on his breath, as he could taste hers. She felt his hands bruising her sides as he grabbed her waist, keeping her in place. He felt her nails scratch into his scalp as she ran her fingers through his hair. Her hands dropped, her nails scratching down his back over the fabric of his tunic.

Their lungs screamed for oxygen, as the kiss grew deeper. Pulling away, Arthur joined their foreheads, panting heavily. Their eyes stayed closed as they tried to catch their breaths. He removed his weight from pressing her against the tree, giving her more room to breathe.

Arthur was the first to open his eyes, and looked down onto her closed ones. Her cheeks were blushed as her chest heaved as if they had just been sparring. "Yes, you do." He whispered. Her eyes fluttered open, and stared into his. The fire in her eyes seemed to have been subdued, and replaced with something else.

Within a second, she had moved from her place against the tree, grabbed her daggers from the opposite tree and gone off into the darkness. Arthur closed his eyes, before hitting the tree hard. "Damn it!" He cursed himself.

-x-x-x-x-x-

He opened the door to his chambers and sighed entering. The party had finally begun to quiet down, allowing him to retire for the night. He flopped down on his bed, in an exhausted heap.

After he let his stupidity get the better of him, he hadn't seen Merlyn for the rest of the night. He sat on his throne, drinking more and more wine that he could get his hands on, trying to forget his moment of weakness.

He had to deal with Cador in the morning and would not stop until he was stripped of his honors and removed from the city. He would not tolerate what he had done to Merlyn. He had let him off once showing disrespect to her, but he had had his second chance.

Sitting up to take his boots off, he noticed something that had been placed on his table. Standing up, he walked over to it. It was a box, wrapped in brown paper.

Picking it up, he ripped the paper open, and found a carved wooden box. Sliding the lid open, inside he found a shiny silver dagger with a black handle with engraved silver dragons. He lifted it out of the velvet which it had been lying in and held it in his hand. It was beautifully crafted and perfectly balanced. Putting the blade back down of the table, he looked back at the box. He saw a small note and picked it up.

_Happy Birthday, love Merlyn x_

Smiling, he put the note down. He put the note back in the box and closed it. Walking over to his cabinets, he opened one of the doors and placed the box inside. He then changed into his sleep clothes.

Heading back to the bed, he picked up the blade, before putting it on his bedside. Climbing into bed, he blew out the candle. Taking one last look at the blade, he smiled before falling into a peaceful sleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Soooo, how was it?.. Didn't think that could happen any other way than during an argument.. Let me know what you think x**


	19. Chapter 18: Riders of the Storm

_A/N - Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy! x_

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 18 – Riders of the Storm**

Metal clashed against each other as the Knights and Warriors trained early in the morning. Arthur and Leon were sparring with one another while Merlyn fought Percy.

A week had passed since the incident between Arthur and Merlyn, and neither one of them had brought it up. Most of the time they had avoided being alone together, which was pretty easy to do.

"What's with you and Merlyn?" Leon asked as he and Arthur took a short break and sat at the edge of the grounds, watching the others fighting.

"What do you mean?" He replied. Acting dumb was the simplest way of getting out of this one he decided.

"Come on Merl, just tell me what's going on." Percy insisted as they exchanged blows.

"There's nothing going on!" She insisted, focus never leaving his weapons. "We had an argument, that's all."

"Arguments between you two last a couple hours, a day max. This is more than an argument." He commented.

"Just leave it, Perce." She dropped her swords to her side, taking a deep breath, eyes glancing over to Arthur who averted his eyes when he saw her look. She readied her weapons again before she groaned as Percy managed to knock both of her swords out of her hands in a second. He gave her a 'yeah right' look, knowing that she had never been this distracted before.

"This place could do with a bit of a fix, Princess." A voice caught her attention. Spinning around, she searched for the owner of the voice. She spotted him walking up the small hill, bag over his shoulder. A grin stretched across her face.

"Gwaine!" She called, running over as he dropped his bag, embracing her in a hug. Everyone was looking at them with a interested look on their faces, but none more so than Arthur. Jealously burst through him so fiercely that it even surprised himself. "What are you doing here?" She asked, pulling away from him.

"Thought I would come and see what all the fuss was about." He gave her a cheeky grin, elbowing her a little in the side. The gesture just made her grin grow and she slapped him lightly on the chest.

"Merlyn?" Percy asked, interrupting the two of them as he stepped forward. She looked at the five men who were watching them closely. She quickly looked away when her eyes made contact with Arthur's.

"Oh, everyone, this is Gwaine. Gwaine, this is Sir Leon, Percy, Lance, Elyan and you already know Arthur." She introduced them, she tried not to stutter or blush at Arthur's name.

"Gwaine? As in drunk off his ass Gwaine?" Arthur asked in surprise as he stepped forward, barely recognizing the man he had met before.

"The one and only Blondie." He grinned at him. Gwaine's eyes glanced between the two before eyeing Arthur up. Arthur folded his arms in annoyance.

"How long are you staying for?" Merlyn asked, ignoring the others once again, taking Gwaine's arm and leading him away from the practice fields.

"Probably until I get kicked out of every tavern. You know the drill." He smirked which made her laugh.

The boys watched as the two walked away. "Practice is over!" Arthur yelled at all the Knights. Anger welled inside of him as he stormed off in anger.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morgana sat in her room. She had wanted to go out and train with Merlyn, but she had got a cold, so was ordered by Gaius to stay in and not do anything. Gwen had been in and out, trying to keep her company, but she had chores to do around the castle. Arthur had been in earlier to check on her, but had gone out to training. Gwen had told her of the awkwardness between Merlyn and Arthur that everyone had begun to talk about, and she had questioned Arthur about it but he brushed it off saying that they were fine.

She looked beside her bed and saw a candle. It was the middle of the day so it hadn't been lit. She was bored. Staring at the candle, she thought about the flame once it had been lit, and the next thing she knew the candle burned.

She gasped, jumping back a little away from it on the bed. She nose twitched a second before she sneezed. The flame flared up for a few seconds. She looked in panic. Had she done that? Quickly blowing out the candle, she curled herself up into a ball, hoping that someone would come to see her quickly.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Gwen smiled as she passed other servants in the castle. She loved her job. She had great friends and had the best boss as well. She was bringing Morgana something to eat for lunch. She felt sorry for her, but if she overdid it, she could end up becoming more ill.

"I bring food." She announced, pushing the door open smiling. Her smile dropped when she saw Morgana sobbing on her bed. Placing the food down, she went to investigate. "Morgana, what's the matter?" She asked sitting beside her.

"Gwen.. I think I have magic." She sobbed. Gwen's heart stopped. Merlyn had told her that its possible that Morgana was beginning to show the signs of magic, but nothing had happened in weeks since the dragon attack.

"I'm sure its nothing." Gwen comforted her. "Tell me what happened." She explained about the candle. "Maybe we should talk to Gaius about this? He will know what to do." She suggested. "Maybe you are hallucinating things. Let's not jump to conclusions." Morgana nodded, agreeing before Gwen quickly went to go and get Gaius.

When he arrived, he suggested that she was just exhausted and the illness was playing trick on her mind. He gave her a sleeping draft, before leaving her. When she was asleep, Gwen went to inspect the candle. The wax had been melted recently.

"We have to tell Merlyn." Gwen told the older man. He nodded in agreement.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"What are we going to do?" Gwen asked as she, Merlyn and Gaius were sat around the physician's quarters. "Uther wouldn't hurt his own daughter if he found out would he?"

"Who knows what Uther would do." Gaius sighed. "I feared that this would happen."

"What do you mean?" Merlyn asked. Something suddenly clicked. "Because of the Queen." Gaius nodded. Gwen listened silently.

"When she was a child, she suffered from terrible nightmares. She said it was screaming and she could see people being hurt. At the time I just gave her sleeping draft to help her sleep, but when things started happening, I began to fear for her." He explained. "You see her nightmares were of the people that Uther was hunting. The Purge."

"So she is a Seer. She can see the future." Merlyn concluded, Gaius nodded sadly. "We can't hide this. If she is able to do magic just by thinking about things, it means that her magic is coming out without her knowing it or without her summoning it."

"Merlyn, it is too dangerous." Gaius argued, knowing what she was going to suggest. "If Uther catches you, he will kill you. What if Morgana spills your secret? Then it's your neck on the line."

"What choice do we have? If I don't help her, she will always be afraid and Uther will find out unless she is able to control it. I will make sure that we won't get caught."

"What if we are wrong and Morgana tells the King?" He asked.

"It's a chance I will have to take."

"I hope you know what you are doing." He warned her.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur walked around the castle. His mood hadn't improved since that morning with Gwaine's unexpected arrival and Merlyn's affections towards him. He couldn't even go and talk to her about it because things were awkward between them.

Up ahead, he heard before he saw Gwaine flirting with one of the maids. As soon as he saw him, he turned and tried to go back the way he came. "Blondie!" Gwaine called, Arthur stopped walking and shut his eyes, trying to calm himself down.

"It's Arthur." He almost growled.

"You seen Merlyn about?" He asked, amusement flowing onto his face. "We haven't really had time to 'catch up', if you catch my drift." He smirked. After a second he spoke again. "Never mind, found her." He smiled. Arthur turned and sure enough Merlyn was walking towards them. "Hey Merls."

"Hey Gwaine." She smiled at him, stopping beside the two. She gave Arthur an awkward smile before looking back at Gwaine. Gwaine spotted the awkwardness between the two of them and grinned.

"I'll leave the two of you to 'catch up'." Arthur snapped, pushing past Gwaine heading towards his chambers.

"What was that about?" Merlyn enquired. She knew things were weird between them, but he had never snapped at her like that before. One look from Gwaine's face, she knew that he was behind it. "What did you do?"

"I may have insinuated that we may be more than what we are." He told her guiltily.

"Gwaine!" She scolded him.

"What?! He's jealous! I just made him a little more so." He shrugged, seeing nothing wrong with it. Sighing, she shook her head before following in the direction where Arthur had gone. This needed to be sorted and it seemed that she would have to be the one to make the first move.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn followed the path of scared looking servants on her travels to find Arthur. She heard him snap at Morris as she neared his rooms. Pushing the door open, she watched as he shouted an order at him before Morris quickly rushed from the room, not wanting to anger the Prince anymore.

Merlyn shut the door as he left, before stepping towards him. His back was to her, his arms leaning against the side of the window as he looked out in anger across the courtyard. He heard movement behind him and spun around.

"I thought I told you.." He growled, stopping when he saw who it was. "What are you doing here?" He snapped. "Haven't you got 'catching up' to do?"

She crossed her arms, anger creeping into her. "Don't you snap at me." She snapped back. "And you will be lucky if half of your servant's don't quit by the end of the day." He grunted, turning back to the window. "You can't let what happened between us affect everyone else."

"Nothing happened between us." He didn't turn. He didn't think he could bare to see the look on her face.

"Well you know that is a lie." She was much closer to him than she was before. "We have to get past this."

"Past what?" He asked turning around. "It meant nothing. We were angry and I let things get too far." He shrugged. "It won't happen again."

"Arthur.." She sighed. "I'm sorry I ran off." His anger melted away a little. "I was scared. I've never.." She let out a frustrated groan. "Look, whatever Gwaine said to you, he was trying to make you jealous." She turned to head towards the door, only to stop when Arthur grabbed her wrist.

"So you and him.." He asked, making her turn back towards him.

"No." She shook her head. "While I was away, we travelled together. That's all." He nodded, accepting what she said.

"Do you regret it?" He asked, referring back to the kiss.

She didn't answer for a moment, looking at the almost pleading look on his face. "No, I don't. But it can't happen again." He nodded, letting go of her wrist. "I've got to go and check on Morgana." She mumbled, offering him a small smile before she headed to the door.

-x-x-x-x-x-

After a few days, Morgana was feeling much better, and had relaxed about the idea that she had magic. It was stupid, of course she didn't.

Merlyn offered to go on a ride with her when Gaius allowed her to. She had readily agreed, saying it would nice to get out of the castle for a while, so the two of them set out. Arthur had questioned them, but let them go without complaint.

When they were far enough from the castle and away from any villages, Merlyn slowed the horses down before finding a brook to let them drink from.

"It's so nice out here. Relaxing." Morgana grinned, stretching.

"Morgana.. There's a reason I asked you to come out here." Merlyn said, before siting down in the long grass. Morgana followed her lead.

"What is it?" She asked, interested. "Is there something wrong?" She asked.

"It's about the other day. You know when you thought you set the candle on fire?" She waited until the Princess nodded before continuing. "Well there's something you need you know." She looked almost frightened. "Morgana, you have magic."

She froze, not moving a muscle. Trying to process what Merlyn had said wasn't something she was expecting to hear. How could she? She had never practiced or even felt the desire to learn.

"How.." She tried to say something, but nothing made sense.

"I know you are scared, but it will be okay." Merlyn assured her.

"How can you say that? My father will kill me when he finds out! How do you even know? Gaius said that it wasn't real, that I was hallucinating.." Her thoughts were rushing around her mind.

"The King won't find out, no one will. You can learn to control it." She explained. "I can teach you."

"I don't understand." She was confused.

Merlyn gave her a reassuring smile before she held her hand out in front of her. She stared at it for a second, before her eyes turned gold and petals from daisies that were in the grass around them swirled around them. Merlyn made some of them form the shape of a bird in her hand before it flew around a couple of times before the petals blew away. Morgana sat in awe. She was shocked. She didn't know what she felt.

"You have magic!" She exclaimed as it suddenly set in. "But how..?"

"I was born with it, just as you were." She explained. "There is much you don't know, but if you will allow me, I can help you."

"Who knows about your magic? Arthur?" She asked.

"Gwen and Gaius." She smiled. "Arthur doesn't know. Gaius knew me as a child, he has always known. Gwen found out by accident when I went after the Questing Beast when Arthur got poisoned."

"How have you kept it a secret?" She asked.

"I was always taught to be cautious, and never to let anyone know. For so long it felt like it was a curse, something that I had to stop everyone finding out about, and it still sort of is. But now I look at it as a gift, something I can use to help others." She smiled. "Will you let me teach you?"

Morgana nodded. Surprisingly, knowing that she wasn't alone made her feel so much better about it. She had never agreed with people being killed for using magic, but then she didn't know what it was like before. "Before we start, I have a question." Merlyn nodded, encouraging her. "You said we were born with it, but how?"

"My father, he had magic. He passed that magic along to me." She smiled. "Your mother, she had magic."

"What?" She asked surprised.

"She never told your father. She kept it hidden from him knowing his distrust of it, and then when she died, he blamed magic and so began the purge." She sighed. "The thing you have to learn is magic isn't bad like your father believes. It isn't really much of anything. It's like a sword, and depending on the person who wields it, it can be used for good or bad."

"Teach me."

-x-x-x-x-x-

They spent a couple hours sat in the grass. Merlyn was explaining things about magic to her, giving her some simple spells. She said that even though she could do spells without words, it was much easier to learn and take control of by using verbal spells.

Morgana was an eager student, wanting to learn everything. Merlyn shared many of her stories and experiences, even using some of her father's lessons that he had used to help her control her magic at a young age.

She explained her dreams and how she was a Seer. Morgana was very confused, but seemed to grasp most of what she was being told. Merlyn made her understood how no one could know about either of their magic. She promised to help her, in return for her silence. Morgana accepted within a heartbeat.

"So when I used to have nightmares, they were actually coming true?" She asked as they lay in the grass.

"Sort of. You see when you were younger, your ability wouldn't have been fully developed, so some of it would probably just be a bad dream." Merlyn explained.

"But everything happened just as I dreamt when the Dragon was freed."

"Yeah, but when you can control your magic, you will be able to control your dreams as well." She explained.

"How did you know about the dragon? You came back during the attack." She questioned.

"Magic connects us, so when something big happens, many of us can feel it." She shrugged. "But I'm also connected to the dragon." Morgana looked at her confused. "My father was a Dragonlord."

"My father said they all died?" Morgana said confused.

"There's one left." She smiled. "When a Dragonlord dies, the power is transferred to their first born, which in this case is me. I am connected with Dragons and can command them."

"Oh."

"Yeah, I didn't know until a little while ago. Anyway, I was in Mercia I think, and I woke by the Dragon's roar. Something told me I had to come back, and I was right. When we went out to confront the Dragon, I ordered it to stop its attack and to never attack Camelot again."

"So it obeyed? I thought it was dead."

"I couldn't exactly say that I ordered it away without raising questions." She replied.

"So it's still out there somewhere?"

"It won't hurt anyone else. He keeps an eye out on things for me." She smiled. "You know it's nice to have someone to talk about this with. Normally I have to lie to Arthur." She sighed.

"Speaking of Arthur.. What's been going on with you two?" Morgana asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"Nothing.." Merlyn grumbled. "We had a.. moment.. on his birthday and things have just been awkward since then. We sorted it out the other day but it's not the same as it was." She sighed.

"Do you love him?" Morgana asked.

"What?!" Merlyn looked surprised. "Why do I keep getting asked this?"

"Because it's obvious in the way you both look at each other." Morgana laughed.

"Bit like you and Leon then." Merlyn smirked at Morgana's paling face. "Thought you kept that one quiet didn't you." She teased.

"We aren't talking about that." Morgana blushed. "He won't admit it, but he does love you Merlin."

She sighed, staring up at the clouds above them. "It doesn't matter. I'm too messed up and he will be King one day. He needs a Queen, not me." She sat up, standing. "Anyway, we should probably be heading back. Don't want you know who to give me an earful."

Morgana laughed, picking herself up from the floor before following Merlyn to collect the horses.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Agravaine paced the small cave as Morguase sat looking into a small bowl of water.

"We need to do something. That pet of Arthur's is making it nearly impossible. Are we any closer on finding Emyrs?" He asked, not stopping his pacing.

"Emyrs will be found in time." Morgause told him. "As for Arthur's pet, if she is such a big problem, then let's get rid of her."

"How? Sending someone after her is just suicide." He grumbled. "She'll kill them before they come within ten feet of the city gates."

"So we use magic." Morgause smirked. Looking back into the water, she watched as Merlyn slept peacefully in her bed.

Her eyes flashed gold as she chanted. When the spell was complete, Morgause smirked. "She'll be dead before the morning."

-x-x-x-x-x-

She shivered, as a spot of skin on her hand turned black. Her face paled and her heartbeat began to slow. She was cursed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please review! x**


	20. Chapter 19: Breaking The Law

_A/N - Thank you all so much for the reviews :) x_

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 19 – Breaking the Law**

Sun broke over the horizon as people began their usual morning routines. The skies were clear as the Knights began their usual training.

Arthur looked around concerned when after most of the session was finished Merlyn hadn't made an appearance. They were still a little awkward with each other, but it was passing. He hadn't seen her since the day before, and was starting to get a little worried at her lack of appearance. Since Gwaine had arrived, he had been training with them at Merlyn's request, and he was there so she couldn't have been out somewhere with him.

"Lance, you seen Merlyn today?" He asked, when he could no longer concentrate on anything other that the missing person.

"Not since yesterday." He replied. "Maybe she overslept?" He suggested. They both knew that she would never oversleep.

"Leon, take over." He told his second in command before going off in hunt of the female warrior.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Knocking on the physician's door, he waited for a reply before entering.

"Morning Sire, what can I do for you?" Gaius asked, smiling at the Prince.

"Is Merlyn still here?" He asked. "She hasn't shown up to training."

Normally Merlyn left before Gaius even woke, so he was used to not hearing her in the mornings. Her door was shut as usual so he expected that she had gone about her usual routine.

Before he could respond, a scream came from the small room in the back. Within seconds, Arthur rushed into the room, with Gaius on his heels. Merlyn was thrashing around in the bed, sweat running down her face as she shook side to side.

"Merlyn! Merlyn, wake up!" Arthur called to her, trying to shake her from her nightmares. He pulled her up, but she went limp in his arms. "Gaius, what's wrong with her?" He asked panicked.

"I have no idea. She was fine last night." He quickly began to check her vitals. Her pulse was weaker than it should be, and her eyes were dilated. They tried to wake her, but nothing. He saw the black spot on her wrist and went for a closer inspection. "Oh dear."

"What? Gaius what is it?" Arthur asked, rushed.

"I think she's been cursed." He replied gravely. He left the room only to return seconds later with a book, open in his hands. "Here it is. The Demon curse." He read through what was happening. "She's been cursed by dark magic."

"Is there anything you can do? Some kind of antidote?" He asked, keeping Merlyn's limp hand in his.

"No.." He replied quietly.

"There has to be something we can do!" Arthur cried.

"It says that the victim will confront their most feared demons. It has been fatal for all known cases." He put the book down. "Whoever did this to her wanted her to suffer."

"What about if we find whoever put the curse on her? Could that break it?" He asked hopeful.

"There is no connection to the sorcerer, just between Merlyn and her demons."

-x-x-x-x-x-

_Smoke filled her lungs as she hid. She began to cough, the air becoming too thick. She saw the flames flicker and destroy the thatched roofs on their simple homes. She stood from her hiding place. She wasn't the same child that she was when this first happened. She stood in her leathers, swords by her side._

_Stepping out, she looked around. People ran in every way, trying to get away. She stopped some soldiers from attacking a young woman. Fire burned in her eyes as she ran, knocking the soldier off the woman. Her heart beat wildly in her chest so hard that she could feel it pulsing in her ears. She flung her weapons in a flurry, killing the man. Crouching down, she helped the woman up. "Run." She begged._

_Screams continued to fill the air. She looked around. She had to find them. She could do what she was unable to do last time; she could save them. Running to the center of the village, she stumbled to a halt. Agravaine stood in the exact spot, Balinor dead at his feet._

"_The one that got away." He sneered at her. "You were always my one regret. Now, you can die along side your father."_

_In a battle cry, she roared. She flew at him, swords swinging, attacking viciously. "I let live once, not this time." She growled. Everything she tried, he deflected. Her anger forced her onwards. _

_She knocked the sword out of his hand, knocking him off his feet. She dropped to her knees, pressing against his chest, sword at his throat. She stared him in the eyes, but the smug look didn't fall from his features. "Do it. Prove just who you really are." He sneered._

_She glanced up, and she looked up and saw Arthur stood a few feet away. He looked disappointed in her. Looking back down at the man below her, she was now looking into Arthur's face, her sword to his throat. "Go on." He taunted her. "You know it's what you were meant to do."_

_She jumped off him as fast as possible, shuffling backwards. "What's happening?" She felt her tears rolling down her face. She closed her eyes, trying to shake herself out of it._

"_This is who you've become." Balinor's voice brought her back. She was now stood in the middle of the village, with Arthur lying at her feet, eyes closed, blood being washed away in the rain._

"_No!" She screamed, collapsing by his side. She put her hands on his face, trying to get him to wake, just as she had with her mother that night. "Arthur, no.." She cried. She laid her head on his chest, sobbing violently. "You can't leave me."_

"_You!" Uther's voice boomed behind her. She jumped to her feet, spinning. "What have you done?!" He yelled._

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur stood at his window, looking out over the city, not really focusing on anything as Morgana and Gwen sat by Merlyn's side. He had been restless all morning. According to Gaius, she should be dead and there was nothing that he could do to stop it happening. He had sent Leon, Lance and Elyan out with the Knights, searching for the sorcerer who did this. Gwaine had insisted that he go as well, saying he wouldn't just sit around and do nothing while his friend lay dying. Arthur agreed.

Percy had refused, saying he needed to be here. She was his family, and he wouldn't leave her when she needed him most. Arthur had asked if it was all right for her to be moved, and after Gaius' approval, he had her moved to his chambers. Her room was far too small to attend to her. Gaius at first refused, but then saw his point when everyone came to see her.

Morgana and Gwen were sat on either side of the bed, putting a cool cloth on her forehead. Nothing made any sense to him. Who would want Merlyn dead? The first person that came into his head was Helios, but would he really go to this much effort?

"Arthur.. Arthur!" Morgana tried to get his attention, as she placed a hand on his arm. He turned to look at her. "Morris brought some food up. You should probably eat something."

"Not hungry." He turned back to the window.

"She would want you to eat." She tried.

Arthur turned to look at his sister, anger in his eyes. "She shouldn't be on her death bed, and I won't rest until I find who did this." He turned on his heel and left the room, not even chancing a glance at the woman who had become his best friend and stolen his heart.

Morgana sighed as he left. She looked at Percy who just motioned to go after him. She nodded and watched as he went after him. Morgana went back over to the bed and sighed.

"How is she still alive?" She asked, looking into her friend's pale face.

"I do not know. Perhaps her magic is keeping her on the brink." Gaius suggested. He was still uncomfortable in speaking about magic in the presence of the Princess and even Gwen, but Merlyn trusted them.

"Is there no way to break the spell or something? I know she had just begun to teach me to control my powers, but if there is something I could do.." Morgana suggested.

Gaius sighed, shaking his head. "I am afraid there is nothing any of us can do. The only thing that the book says is that she must face her worse demons and only then can she return to the world of the living."

"So there is a chance that she won't die then?" Gwen inquired.

"No one has ever overcome it." He replied sadly.

Merlyn started moving in her sleep once again. Morgana and Gwen tried to calm her down. Her breathing became heavy, trying to catch her breath. When she finally calmed down, a couple of tears escaped from her eyes.

"Whoever did this, they wanted her to suffer." Gaius sighed.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_She was running, as fast as her legs could take her. Trees rushed past in her vision as the need to get away overtook all her other senses. She didn't know what she was running from, but she just had to run._

"_It's all your fault." Whispers through the leaves taunted her. Ghostly figures appeared in front of her. She screamed as she passed them, trying to get away from them._

"_They came for you." They chanted. "We paid the price." She forced her legs forward. Children from her village lined her path, families who perished that night._

"_You're the reason we died. You and your father brought this upon us." They told her. Creatures of the night hissed at her, the trees never ending._

_She tripped and fell. "No!" She cried. She curled up in a ball, resting against a tree trunk, scared, just like she had been when Gorlois found her._

_She felt his hand on her shoulder, just like on that day. He gave her a reassuring smile before he spoke. "You could end this all now. No one else has to suffer because of who you are." He told her, his tone betraying his words._

_A roar and fire encased the trees as Gorlois knelt in front of her. "How many others will die to protect you?" She curled back into herself, sobbing uncontrollably. "Gaius? Percy? Morgana? Gwen? Or what about Arthur?"_

"_No!" She screamed._

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur sat at the large table in the great hall, with the King, his uncle and Morgana. He shifted food around his plate, not able to eat anything. Morgana wasn't much better, both knowing where they would rather be.

"Arthur!" The King called him. "Any news on the witch hunt?" He asked. Arthur had informed him earlier in the day about Merlyn's situation, and he agreed to the hunt.

"Nothing yet." He muttered.

"Cheer up you two." Agravaine told them. "She's just a subject."

Arthur's head shot up glaring at him. Before he could say anything Morgana growled at him. "She is not just a subject. She is our friend and she has saved Arthur's life countless times and has done a great service to this Kingdom." She pushed back from the table and stormed out of the room.

"You should get some rest, Arthur. You are looking pale." The King told him. Without a word, he stood and let the room without a word.

Agravaine shook his head at their attitudes. "They are too soft, Uther. Friendships with the help shows weakness."

"She has been a asset to this Kingdom, and her death will be a great loss." Uther told him. "I may not have liked it in the beginning, but she has been good for both Arthur and Morgana."

The two of them ate the rest of their meal in silence.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"How is she doing?" Arthur asked, walking into the room to check on her.

"She's still holding on, Sire. But I don't think she will survive the night." Gaius informed him sadly.

"Do everything you can for her." He told him, before he went to stand by the window once more. Looking outside, he saw people lining the courtyard, with lit candles in their hands.

Morgana came to stand beside him. "She's affected more people than she ever knew."

"I don't think I can do this." He admitted. Morgana wrapped her arms around him and the siblings embraced each other, praying that somehow she could pull through.

Both turned quickly when they heard a mutter from the bed. Morgana rushed to her side, as Arthur watched, nearly in tears. He rushed to her side when her eyes flew open.

"Merlyn? Merlyn, can you hear me?" He asked quickly, hope rushing through his veins. The usual blue colour began to flicker in her eyes. Morgana stood frozen, as did Gaius. There was nothing they could do. Arthur watched in shock as her eyes turned gold before they shut again, and she calmed down again.

He knew what he saw, but he didn't want to believe it. He glanced to Morgana and saw the guilty look on her face. Looking over at Gaius, he wore a similar expression.

"She has magic." He accused them, his voice harsh. He glanced between the two, waiting to see who would speak first. "How could this happen?"

"Arthur.." Morgana tried to speak, but he cut her off.

"You knew?!" He asked appalled. "How long?"

"A week." She admitted. "But Arthur, let me explain." She pleaded.

"I can't do this now." He quickly left the room, leaving a very worried Gaius and Morgana behind.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_She stood in the middle of a battlefield, dead bodies as far as the eye could see. Her eyes were focused on the battle ahead. Arthur and Mordred were exchanging blows. It was a fight to the death. She tried to move forward, to help Arthur, but her feet were frozen in place._

"_Stop!" She shouted, but neither could hear her. Tears poured from her eyes. She held out her hand, trying to focus her magic, but nothing happened. She was powerless. "Stop this!" She yelled._

_She could only watch as Mordred disarmed the Prince as he fell to one knee. The dragon breathed fire onto the battlefield, roaring in anger. She heard a cruel laugh beside her, and saw Morgana stood on the hillside behind Mordred. She smirked as Morgause stood by her side. Arthur's face turned to look at her. His blue eyes looked in pity at her. Everything else faded out, her only focus on his eyes._

_It was his eyes that stayed the same as she found herself in the courtyard in Camelot. The pity changed to anger and hatred. She couldn't move, she was tied to a wooden stake. She tried her hardest to move, but it was useless. By Arthur's side were her friends. Morgana stood with her head held high, as Gwen looked at her in indifferent. Lance and Leon shook their heads in disgust while Percy and Gaius looked at her in sorrow. Gwaine looked at her once before he turned and walked away._

"_I, Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, sentence you to death for the use of magic." He announced to herself and the crowd._

"_Please, no." She whimpered._

"_You disgust me." He sneered at her._

_"Arthur.." She cried as the wood below was set alight. She closed her eyes. She couldn't bare the look in his eyes any longer._

-x-x-x-x-x-

Morgana sat by Merlyn's side as Gaius sat in a chair beside the bed. Arthur hadn't been back since he stormed out a couple of hours ago. They had barely spoken since, worried about what Arthur would do with the knowledge. Morgana hoped that he wouldn't do anything rash.

The door opened, and both sets of eyes shot in that direction as Arthur pushed the door open slowly. He stepped inside and locked the door behind him.

"How is she?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"Getting weaker." Morgana told him. "She won't last much longer."

He nodded sadly. "Tell me." He commanded them quietly.

Morgana looked to Gaius for permission and when he nodded, she began to repeat what Merlyn had told her.

"You know that I started having those nightmares again?" Arthur nodded. "They aren't just nightmares. They are premonitions." She explained.

"What are you saying?" He was now even more confused.

"Arthur, I have magic." She confessed.

"H... how? What? I don't understand. How can you have magic?" He asked in disbelief.

Gaius decided that it was his turn to explain this part. "For the most part, magic can be learnt and taught to some extent. But there are some magic that is passed down through generations. Both Merlyn and Morgana were born with magic." He explained.

"But my father.." He began, only to be cut off.

"Your father doesn't know." Gaius admitted. "Magic runs through your mother's side of the family. She had magic, but she kept it from you Father until the day she died. He still does not know."

"It doesn't pass down to everyone, which is why Agravaine doesn't have magic or you." Morgana explained. "Merlyn told me of her magic last week because my magic became uncontrollable. I didn't know I had it, and after I set a candle alight and my nightmares became more. I dreamt of the Dragon attack days before it happened. If I had know then, maybe we could have done something to stop it." She still felt guilty about that.

Arthur began to pace, trying to get things straight in his mind. His sister has magic, his mother had magic and Merlyn who is currently lying in his bed dying also has magic while his father if he knew any of this would have them all killed in an instant.

"When we went for that ride last week, she told me, and began to teach me to control my magic, just like her father had done to her before." Something clicked in his mind. That's why their village was attacked, because they had magic. "She keeps it hidden in fear of being discovered. She has only ever used it to save you and to help us." Morgana insisted. "Magic isn't evil, it's the person who uses it."

He continued to pace, as the two of them let in sink in. "It that the reason she's still alive now? Because of her magic?" He asked Gaius.

"It's possible that her magic is trying to fight off the curse, but even those with magic have perished." He told him.

"What are you going to do Arthur? Now you know?" Morgana asked. She didn't fear for herself, because Arthur would never let anything happen to her, and she didn't truly believe that he would let anything happen to Merlyn.

"Nothing." He sighed. "What would be the point in informing the King when she is about to die anyway? I know why you kept it a secret Gaius, and I assure you that nothing will come of this." Gaius nodded in thanks.

"We all need some rest." Gaius told the siblings.

"You two go. I will stay with her." Arthur told them both. Neither wanted to argue with him, so nodded before kissing Merlyn's forehead before exiting the room. Gaius told him to inform him if there were any developments. Arthur nodded, promising that he would.

-x-x-x-x-x-

_The warmth of the flames disappeared, the courtyard gone. Now there was no battlefield, no burning building, just the lake of Avalon. Her tears threatened to run as she looked over the serenity of the peaceful lake._

_A touch on her shoulder drew her attention away from the water, and she looked to her side and saw Arthur stood beside her, arm around her shoulders. She leant her head against him as he kissed her forehead._

_She was wearing a simple white dress, hair down with no weapons on her. Arthur was wearing a white tunic and his light pants. A gentle breeze blew through her hair._

"_I wish things could have been different." Arthur's voice broke the serenity. "A small house in the middle of nowhere, a couple of kids running around." A smile graced her face as she imagined the dream that he had. "A couple of horses and even a dog."_

"_I would have liked that." She admitted. "No secrets, no threats, just us."_

_He turned her, so she was now facing him. As she looked up into his eyes, she could see the feelings that he had for her shine down at her. He took one of her hands in his as this other stroked her cheek. He lent in and gentle left a soft kiss on her lips._

_Resting their foreheads together, she kept her eyes closed, reveling in the feelings of peace around her. "You don't have to fight anymore." He whispered to her._

_Pulling back a little, she slowly opened her eyes, gazing into his crystal blue ones. "But I do." Everything around her began to fade into white._

-x-x-x-x-x-

Sat in the chair beside the bed, he grasped Merlyn's hand. Now he was alone, he allowed himself to shed tears. It hurt to see her like this. The revelation of her magic and that she didn't trust him enough to tell him should have been more painful and betraying, but he didn't care about that. He wanted her to live. He didn't care if she had magic or not, he needed her to live. He needed her.

"Please, Merlyn, don't leave me." He sobbed, gripping her hand in both of his, bringing it to his lips.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please review x**


	21. Chapter 20: Between Two Worlds

_A/N - Thanks for the reviews!.. So there are only 7 chapters (including this) left and a epilogue left of this story so there's not much left to go.. But don't worry, I will begin writing the next story over my winter break to begin posting early in the New Year :).._

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 20 – Between Two Worlds**

_Her eyes opened. Blinking to regain her vision, she sat up. Looking around, she saw she was in a room that looked similar to Arthur's in Camelot, but all washed in white._

_Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she stood up and walked around. She was dressed in the simple white dress once again, barefooted. 'Where am I?' She wondered out loud as she walked to the large window in the room. Looking out, all she could see was water._

"_You are awake." A voice startled her as she spun around to face the intruder._

_She eyes widened in surprise. "Father?" She asked, taking a step towards him._

"_It is me, Little Bird." He smiled and opened his arms as she rushed into them._

_She held him tightly, taking in his distinctive scent that she had never forgotten. She all her worries always faded when she was embraced by him, he always made everything all right._

_After a few minutes, he pulled away, before taking her hand and leading her back to the bed, sitting her down before sitting down beside her. He smiled at her, brushing strands of hair behind her ear. "My beautiful little bird." He cooed. She blushed, before tucking her feet underneath her, just as she did as a child._

"_What is this place?" She asked him, looking around the room once more._

"_This is a place in between." He explained._

"_In between?" She questioned. "You mean like life and death?" He nodded. "But I don't remember dying."_

"_That's because you were cursed." He told her. "Another sorceress put a dark spell on you called 'The Demon Curse'. It is a painful way to die, making you relive all your worst nightmares and making you face your demons. You are tested and very few have recovered."_

"_Who would do that?" She questioned. "Who did this to me?"_

"_Her name is Morgause, she is a priestess of the Old Religion. Her plan was to get you out of the way because you keep on stopping their plans to take over Camelot."_

"_Their plans? Her's and Agravaine's?" She asked, remembering the woman from the temple._

"_There is more going on than you know." He told her. "I had hoped to keep you away from this world, but others had different plans." He sighed. "They are searching for you. All the groups of bandits, all the attacks of villages, it's all for you."_

"_Why me? Why would they want me?"_

"_Because you are special. You have the power of Emrys."_

"_The Goddess of Dragons. Freya explained the legend to me."_

"_Back then, she was hunted, wanted for her power. She only ever embraced her true power when she spread it between her followers before ascending to a higher power. History is beginning to repeat itself." He told her._

"_They want my power." She concluded. "Agravaine, is he behind all of this?" She asked._

"_Agravaine is a selfish man. He was jealous of his siblings. They both had magic and he didn't. So when Ygraine died and Uther declared war on magic, he took his Uther's side. He hunted down everyone with magic. He wants what he felt was his birthright, but that's not how it works."_

"_How did they find us? They believed you were dead."_

"_I slipped up. Somehow, word got to Agravaine that I was still alive. He learnt that I had a child, but he couldn't get me to talk. He questioned me on whether Tristan was still alive and where you were. I didn't tell him anything. Since then, he's been searching for you, but only recently has he had resources to search everywhere. He doesn't know you actual age, or even your gender, but he knows you are out there somewhere and you have the sole power of Emrys."_

"_So he's had me killed, without knowing I'm the one he's looking for?" She asked. He nodded. "What happens when I die? What happens to the power?"_

"_It will be lost forever. The dragons will die out." He replied sadly. "Only a Dragonlord can hatch the remaining dragon eggs. Only then can the dragon's fly free once more."_

_They stayed quiet for a moment as Merlyn looked out of the window. She didn't know what she was meant to do. She was in between worlds, but had no idea how to go either way._

"_What do I have to do now?" She asked._

"_Well, daughter, that is up to you." He smiled. "You have been tested, and you have passed. You lived through your worst demons, and you didn't give up, no matter how many times you saw your friends look at you in anger or hatred. Your heart stayed pure even when Arthur sentenced you to death. You faced your biggest fear, but you didn't give in."_

"_Everything in me tells me to let go. To finally be at peace and forget about the past. I don't even think I have the strength to get revenge for what happened that night."_

"_You should not forget about the past and vengeance isn't everything. Think about what you are giving up, your future."_

"_What future?" She muttered._

"_The future that you are fighting for, your friends, happiness… Arthur." He smiled. "The two of you are so stubborn that it's almost funny. You both deny your feelings for each other, but only in the mist of anger, your true feelings come out." She blushed, remembering their kiss on his birthday._

"_How can he have feelings for me? All I've ever done is lie to him. I tried to kill him in the beginning, and even after I saved him I wanted to. We always fight, argue and end up nearly killing each other when neither of us will back down. Even after he learnt of me being an assassin, I still lie to him about my magic." She sighed._

"_And yet he still does." He smiled. "What the two of you have is something that is beyond even magic. You are destined, you always have been."_

"_How long do I have to decide?" She asked._

"_Not long." He smiled sadly. "If you don't, you could be trapped in between, never truly able to pass on."_

_She sighed, leaning back against the pillows on the bed. "How's mum?" She asked._

_Balinor smiled. "She is well. She doesn't like seeing the pain you've been through, but she is proud of everything you've accomplished."_

"_What happens if I don't go back?" She asked._

"_It is unknown. Despite your destiny, we can never fully know what will happen."_

"_I don't know what I should do. Tell me what to do." She sighed._

_Balinor smiled at his daughter. "You know what you must do, you always have. You are a fighter."_

_She nodded. "Will I ever see you again?" She asked._

"_When the time is right, we will be waiting at the gates of Avalon." He smiled at her. Leaning over, he kissed her forehead softly. "I love you, little bird."_

"_I love you too, dad." She smiled._

_The room began to fade into white._

-x-x-x-x-x-

Opening her eyes, darkness surrounded her. Moonlight filtered in through the window as the curtains hadn't been drawn. It took her a moment to realize where she was. Arthur's chambers. She felt pressure on her hand, and she stiffly moved her head to look at where the outstretched arm finished.

She smiled softly seeing Arthur's hand clasped around her own as his head lay on the bed beside it. He was sat in the chair, and had fallen asleep at some point. Taking pity on him, knowing that he would be sore in the morning she gently squeezed his hand.

The movement made him stir a little, so she did it again. This time he stilled, as if he didn't believe what happened. His eyes shot open, and his head rose from the bed. His tired eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing when they gazed into her usually stormy blue eyes. She looked exhausted, but her eyes were clear of their clouds.

"Hey." She croaked, her throat dry.

"Merlyn." He let out a sigh of relief. "How..?" He stared at her in disbelief.

"Can't get rid of me that easily." She smiled.

He brought her hand to his lips, and sent a little thank you to whoever was looking out for them above.

"Here." He helped her to sit up against the pillows before he picked up a goblet of water from beside him, and sat beside her on the bed, helping her to drink it. When she tried to down it, he pulled it away a little. "No so fast. Don't want you drowning after all that." She smiled a little before doing as she was told. When he put the goblet down, he stayed sat on the bed. He picked up her hand, and noticed that the black mark was no longer there. "I should get Gaius."

"Leave him." She sighed. "He's probably been rushed off his feet." She smiled. "How long have I been out?" She asked.

"Nearly two days." He answered quietly. "No one thought you would make it through the night."

She heard the sadness in his voice as he spoke. With her other hand, she raised it to the side of his face. "I'm okay." She reassured him. "I'm not going anywhere."

Leaning over, he kissed her forehead, before resting his against her own. "I promise to find whoever did this." Her hand stroked the side of his face.

"We will." She corrected him, looking him in the eyes before leaning in a little and placing a soft kiss on his lips; the only way she could truly reassure him.

"Don't ever do that to me again." He pulled her towards him, hugging her tightly. "I don't know what I'd do without you." She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tight.

"I'll try not to." She smiled.

They stayed like that for a while, just happy that she was alive. He silently thanked that she had magic. He believed that it was the one thing that helped her come back to him. If he had any doubts before about magic, after learning the truth about his mother and sister, which he still hadn't gotten his head around, he didn't believe that all magic was evil. Magic had kept her alive.

"What was it like?" He asked.

"Worse than you can imagine." She admitted. "The last thing I remember was standing on the shore of the Lake of Avalon with you. You told me I didn't have to keep fighting, that I could let go. But I couldn't. I had to keep fighting." He nodded, listening to her. "I'm sure I went somewhere else afterwards, but I don't remember. I just felt at peace, like everything that happened before was alright and I was finally able to get passed it."

"I'm glad you did." He kissed her forehead again.

"Me too." She smiled. "Who knows what trouble you would get into with me gone." She grinned.

He chucked. "You need to rest." He told her, helping her to lie down again, letting her leave his arms.

"So do you." She yawned as she lay back in the bed. She held out her hand to him as she shuffled across, making space for him.

He wanted to protest, but he wouldn't be able to sleep unless he knew she was in his arms. Smiling, he kicked off his boots that were still on, he slid into the bed beside her. He wrapped his arms around her, and she rested her head on his chest.

"Goodnight." She whispered.

"Night." He kissed her head before taking in her scent. The two of them fell into a peaceful sleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Where do you think you are going?" Arthur asked as he felt Merlyn trying to move out of his arms. The sun had begun to rise, and soon everyone in the castle would begin to rise.

"I really need the toilet." She laughed. He reluctantly relaxed his grip on her, before hopping out of bed himself. "What are you doing?" She asked as her feet rested on the floor.

"You might be weak." He told her. "Don't want you falling and ruining my lovely rug over there." He shrugged.

She just shook her head before attempting to stand. He was right, she was weak. He helped her to walk across to the small bathroom. "You need help?" He asked awkwardly.

"I'm good from here, thanks."

"Call when you need me." He said before quickly leaving the room. He stood patiently outside, ready for when she needed him. She called him when she was finished and he began to help her back to the bed.

Halfway there a knock came on the door. "Come in." He called moments before Gaius stepped into the room.

His eyes landed on the bed, and they nearly came out of his head. He looked in shock as he saw Arthur helping Merlin walk across the room. It would have been funny if it hadn't have been so serious. "Hi." She smiled at him.

Arthur got her back onto the bed before Gaius insisted on checked her over, despite her grumbles. "Merlyn, you nearly died. Let him check you." Arthur insisted.

"When did this happen?" Gaius asked, checking her eyes and her temperature.

"Some time in the middle of the night. I fell asleep in the chair and she woke me up. I was just as surprised as you are." He admitted. "The black marks are gone as well." He pointed out as Gaius went to check them.

"This really is something." He concluded.

"Why?" She questioned.

"No one has survived it before." He explained. "Your magic seems to have kept you alive long enough to face your demons."

As soon as the words came out of Gaius' mouth, she looked at Arthur in panic, but he didn't look shocked or appalled. "I know." He simply told her. "You eyes turned gold yesterday."

"You're okay with that?" She asked surprised.

He shrugged. "It brought you back to me, so it can't be all that bad." He smiled. "Morgana told me as well." She let out a sigh of relief before she smiled.

"I'm sorry I lied to you." She apologized.

"I understand why you did." He assured her. "Thank you for helping Morgana out. You could have just left her, but you didn't."

"She's my friend." She shrugged. "So you won't tell the King?"

"No. As far as I am concerned, you haven't done anything wrong. It might take some time to fully get my head around it and understand it, but I will keep your secret."

"Thank you." She smiled.

"It's good to have you back." Gaius kissed her forehead and smiled at her, brushing away a stray tear that he had managed to keep in.

-x-x-x-x-x-

A couple of hours passed, and Arthur and Merlyn were sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard just talking. She was explaining all about her magic, and as much as she thought it would be weird talking to him about it, it wasn't. He didn't react the way that she had expected him to. She thought he would fly off the handle, but instead he seemed genuinely interested and wanted to know more.

He found it fascinating. He had always been told that magic was bad and wrong. Even though there were times he had perhaps questioned it, he didn't really know anything about it. When Merlyn spoke about it, she looked relaxed and happy which is something he hasn't seen in her very often.

She assured him that she only told Morgana because she was afraid that she would hurt someone or worse if she didn't learn to control it. She also said that Gwen knew, but that was only because she had seen her use her magic when she was fighting the Questing Beast to save his life. She told him of the few times that she has had to use magic, saying she mostly kept it hidden because that is what her father taught her.

"What happened with the Dragon?" He asked. It was one thing that didn't make sense.

"He's still out there." She smiled. "Don't worry, he won't ever attack Camelot again."

"How did you do that? I thought Gaius said only a Dragonlord could control a dragon." She smiled, glad that he listened to some things.

"My father was a Dragonlord. When he was killed, the power was given to me." She explained. "There's a whole legend behind it, but I am the last remaining Dragonlord. So I ordered him to never attack again."

"So where is it?"

"He's somewhere, keeping an eye on things for me." She smiled. "You know he is the reason why I didn't kill you when I first came to Camelot."

"Really?" He asked.

"Yeah, he told me of our destiny and that I was your protector and with my help you would become the greatest King and unite the lands and it's people." She smiled. "I thought he's just been down in that cave too long and got delusional." She laughed. He shook his head smiling. "But after a while, I saw what he meant." She smiled at him.

"So glad you didn't kill me then?" He asked.

"We'll see." She rested her head against his shoulder as they sat there in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

The door swung open without warning and in rushed a tired looking Morgana. She nearly fell when she saw Merlyn sat up in bed leaning against Arthur. Gwen just about stopped herself from walking into the back of her, before looking to see what stunned her mistress.

"Merlyn!" Morgana exclaimed.

"Hey Morg, Gwen." She smiled at them both.

Morgana rushed her, hugging her tight. Arthur just groaned before getting off the bed and standing. "I'd better go and let the guys know that you are alright." He informed her. He kissed her hair before making his exit.

"How is this possible?" Morgana asked, looking her over. "You were a breath away from death when we left last night."

"Guess I'm stronger than I look." She smiled. "So Arthur knows."

Morgana looked awkward for a moment. "Yeah, you kind of put us in it there. It's fine, he won't tell anyone." The three of them sat around talking, both Morgana and Gwen happy that she had recovered.

The lads had come to see her as well, Percy pulling her into a bone-crushing hug, telling her that he will kill her if she scares him like that again. She smiles before asking them if they have any idea who cursed her. Leon said that they had a few leads, but come up with nothing yet.

He assured her that they would find whoever did it. She smiled, thanking them. Arthur told her that it wouldn't happen again. They would all be more cautious now. If someone wanted her dead, they would probably try again. She nodded before telling him that they'd have to try harder than that.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"You failed." Agravaine hissed as he entered the cave. "She's alive." He threw something at the cave wall in anger.

"That's not possible." Morgause argued. "No one has ever survived that curse."

"Well she did. Arthur and his Knights are keeping a close eye out and looking for whoever cursed her. He thinks they will try again to kill her and he's barely letting her leave his sight."

"Emrys." Morgause hissed. "It's the only way she could have survived that, if Emrys healed her."

"So he's in Camelot." Agravaine concluded. "That makes it more difficult to find him without making a scene."

"Who visited Merlyn before she nearly died?" She asked.

"I don't know. Arthur was there for most of it, as was the physician." He answered. "I will try and find out."

"We nearly have what we have been waiting for." She smiled. "So close."

Agravaine smiled before turning and disappearing from the cave.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please Review :) x**


	22. Chapter 21: A Legend Reborn

_A/N - I apologise that this chapter is a little predictable, but it had to happen now for reasons which will be known in later chapters.. Thanks for all the reviews! x_

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 21 – A Legend Reborn**

Since Merlyn's brush with death, things had been getting back into routine. Her strength had returned and she had finally begun to train once more. She and Arthur had never really talked about what had happened just after she woke up, and neither seemed to be in a rush to have that conversation.

Gwaine had decided that he was going to stick around for a bit, keeping an eye on things as he said. Merlyn was more than happy for him to hang around, but Arthur was less inclined. He must admit the man was worried when Merlyn had nearly died and insisted he help out, but Arthur still didn't fully trust him.

Uther had called Arthur to his office, wanting a private word with him. This wasn't unusual, but it always felt like he was about to be told off for something. He had left Merlyn outside with the lads to train. Gwaine had joined them a couple of times, and he seemed to have become quick friends with Lance and Percy. He was happy to see Merlyn happy, so in a way so was he.

"You wanted to see me father?" Arthur asked as he stepped into the room.

"Ah, Arthur. Yes, there is something important that we must discuss." Uther gestured for him to sit down.

Arthur sat in silence, intrigued as to what there this conversation would go.

"You know that we have some rocky relationships with several of the bordering kingdoms." Arthur nodded. "There have been rumors that some of the Kingdoms intend to rise against us, thinking that our force is breaking. Despite the treaty that was signed, some are willing to break it to get our land."

"How do we counter?" Arthur asked. "How come we haven't heard about this before?"

"It has been known for quite some time. Since the rumors began, we have come up with a way to prevent this uprising and solidify our standing within this land." Uther explained. "We are going to create an alliance with Gawant and Lord Godwyn. With this alliance, they will rise up with us if there is any sign of attack, strengthening our forces as well as the other way around."

"How will the alliance be made?" He asked, wondering why he had been left out of the loop of this for so long.

"By marriage." His heart stopped. "Between you and the Princess Elena." Uther informed him.

He shook his head. "No."

"Excuse me?" Uther raised his eyebrows. "You have a duty to your Kingdom."

"So you railroad me into a marriage that I do not want because it's my duty?" He questioned, fighting the urge to raise his voice.

"You will be strengthening our allies. It should be an honor to use your marriage as such." Uther argued.

"An honor? What, for me to be unhappy for the rest of my life?" He stood, beginning to pace the room.

"The Princess Elena is a good woman, and she will make a good wife." Uther insisted. "The deal has already been made."

"Without my knowledge or acceptance!" He shouted, unable to keep it in. "I don't doubt that Elena would make someone a good wife, but that person is not me."

"You will marry her." Uther stood, leaning against the table. He slammed a ring box down on the table. "You will propose to her in front of the court in tomorrow. They will arrive later today and you will be there to greet them."

"That's why you didn't tell me. You knew that I would never accept this." He growled. "You talk of duty but what of your duty as a father?! To allow his son to be happy and not forced into a loveless marriage."

"Stop being over dramatic." Uther snapped. "And remember that you are talking to your King."

"No, I was talking to my father, but it seems he died the same day my mother did." Arthur retorted, snatching up the ring box before storming out of the room, leaving a furious Uther behind.

-x-x-x-x-x-

A knock came on his chamber door a moment before Morgana's head popped around it. "We missed you at dinner tonight." She said, walking into the room.

"Wasn't hungry." He was sat at his desk, reading through papers, trying to keep his mind occupied.

"Lord Godwyn and the Princess Elena were disappointed that you weren't in attendance. I told them that you were busy with Knight duties and they seemed to understand, but father was furious you weren't there to greet them." He responded by just humming. She crossed her arms, as she stood watching him. "Okay, what's going on?" She demanded.

"Nothing." He muttered, not bothering to look up.

"You haven't been seen all day, locked up in here. Father was angry, but he tried to hide it. What's gone on between the two of you?" She asked.

"Leave it Morgana." He snapped at her. "You'll find out tomorrow like everyone else."

She recoiled at his tone. Never before had he spoken to her in such a way. Something must have happened for him to act this way. "I'll leave you to it then." She turned and headed for the door. Pausing, she looked back and saw that he hadn't even looked up. Sighing, she exited the room, leaving him alone.

When he heard the door shut, he dropped the quill and ran his hands down his face. He stood and went to the door, locking it before heading back over to his desk.

Opening the desk drawer, he put the ring box in front of him, opening it to see ring that his father had provided him. It was a nice ring, silver with a stone ruby in the center of it. He had always imagined proposing to his future wife privately, perhaps during a romantic stroll or a picnic somewhere, not in front of the court. He knew it was a formality, but it felt wrong. He had always imagined that he would marry a woman that he actually loved. He knew many others in his situation were married off for alliances, but he had hoped since his father married his mother for love that he would be allowed to do the same. It seemed that fate would not be so kind.

He vowed that his sister would be allowed to marry for love. He would fight to the death before he let her be married off to some unknown Prince or Lord miles away. It was his job to protect her, even if it was against his own father.

Ideas kept swirling around his head. Could he really do this? Could he marry a Princess that he barely knew let alone love? On the other hand, could he really disobey the King? Then there was a whole other situation. Merlyn.

He didn't know what was going on between the two of them, but it was something he would have liked to explore. He had feelings for her certainly, and he would even go so far as to say he loved her, but could they really be anything more than a fantasy?

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn came to a halt outside the Prince's chamber door. She had seen Morgana who had told her that something was going on and it had worried her. Merlyn had tried to say it was probably nothing, but she needed to see what was wrong for herself.

She put her hand on the handle of the door, before trying to open it. Looking at the door slightly confused, when it didn't move. He never locked his door.

Knocking on it, she called through the door. "Arthur? It's me. Open the door." She didn't hear any movement. "Arthur?" Pressing her ear to the door, she heard some shuffling around the room, but nothing to indicate that he would open the door. "Arthur! You know as well as I do that I can unlock this door if you don't." She shouted, but still nothing happened.

Taking a step back, she sighed. If he really wanted to be left alone, she would respect that. He had done it for her many times over, so she would show him the same courtesy.

He listened as her footsteps retreated down the hall from the other side of the door.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The court had gathered in the afternoon. Arthur had taken a walk with the visiting Princess that morning, apologizing for being absent the day before. She smiled at him and said that it was all right. She had been rather tired anyway.

Now everyone had gathered. Merlyn stood at the side of the room beside Leon and Percy. She had never been part of a full court session, and was surprised to see the Morgana and Arthur wearing their crowns. They were only reserved for special occasions.

"What's going on?" She whispered to Leon as everyone quieted down as the King stood. He shook his head at her, indicating that he didn't know either. They all looked towards the King, waiting for him to speak.

"Lords and Ladies, today is a very special day and one that should be remembered for years to come. Before I pass over to Prince Arthur, I thank you all for coming." He smiled, one that looked rather forced.

Merlyn's eyes shifted to Arthur's who shared a look for a second before he looked away. She looked over to Morgana who shrugged her shoulders and looked just as confused as she did.

Arthur stepped forward. "I ask for the Princess Elena to join me." He said. Elena smiled as she stepped forward and stood beside him. He gave her a nervous look before turning towards her and dropping down to one knee.

Morgana audibly gasped, as did Gwen but Merlyn just stood frozen with wide eyes. He didn't dare to glance at her, knowing that he wouldn't be able to say what he had to if he did.

"I, Arthur, Prince of Camelot ask you, Elena, Princess of Gawant for your hand in marriage." He gulped before taking out the ring, holding it in his hand to her. He looked up into her eyes as she smiled.

"I accept." She smiled, accepting the ring as he put it on her ring finger and stood up.

The crowd cheered. Some had happy tears, while others were tears of sadness to know that the Prince was officially off the market. They turned, joined hands to face everyone. It was only then that he looked towards Merlyn. She clapped along with everyone else, but all emotion was void from her face. Elena followed his gaze before looking back at him and smiled.

Many people went to give their congratulations to the couple as Merlyn slipped out of the room. Morgana smiled at Elena, giving her a small hug, before glaring at Arthur before hugging him, keeping up appearances. She didn't say anything, knowing that it wouldn't make a difference.

-x-x-x-x-x-

A feast was held in their honor that night. Arthur had tried to slip away to find Merlyn, to explain himself, but he couldn't get away. They sat at the head of the table and exchanged pleasant conversations with the Lords and Ladies, asking about how they met and other such things. Elena had taken over at that point, making some story of how they met at a feast a while back and hit it off. Despite everyone knowing that this marriage was set up by their father's they had to have something to tell people rather than we were being made to marry.

Once the feast was finished, dancing began to take place. Arthur really wasn't in the mood, but after all this was all in his honor. He had seen Merlyn for a little while before hand with Gaius, but he kept losing sight of her.

"Would you like to dance?" Elena asked him, smiling sweetly as people moved to the dance floor.

"Sure." He offered her a smile, standing and offering her his hand before leading her to the floor. They danced slowly, in time with the music, allowing for them to have some time to talk without being interrupted, which was her plan. People around them 'aww'ed.

"So who is she?" She asked softly.

"Who?" He questioned.

"The girl that you have been looking for all night." She stated. "It's alright." She assured him. "You aren't the only one who has to leave someone behind."

"There is someone else?" He asked her, interested in why she would want to marry him if she also had someone.

"Yes." She smiled sadly. "But unfortunately duty comes before love." She sighed. "Does she know?"

He shook his head sadly. "We never really got around to talking about it. Don't even know if she feels the same."

"Trust me, she does. She looked just as heartbroken as Jason did when I told him of our upcoming nuptials." She sighed. "Don't you just sometimes wish that we weren't the people that we are, that we could chose our own lives rather than having them laid out for us?" She wondered allowed.

"Everyone thinks that we are the lucky ones, being born into royalty but they will never know the sacrifices that we face." He agreed. "Money doesn't get you everything you wsih."

"You should talk to her." She told him. "Tell her how you feel."

"It wouldn't do either of us any good. My father would never allow it." He admitted. "It was only a fantasy."

"Sometimes fantasy is what our hearts truly want." She rested her head against his shoulder, showing their 'affections' for one another. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't the head he wanted resting against him.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn stood at the edge of the room, staying hidden out of the way. Gwen had walked over to her sadly, not even able to imagine what her friend was going through.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

Merlyn broke her gaze from the dancing couple to Gwen. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" She asked, voice more cold than normal.

"You know he wouldn't have done it if he'd had a choice." The maid told her.

"It doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with me." She simply stated, forcing a smile. She turned and headed out of the nearest door she could find, and disappeared off into the night.

Gwen sighed as she left. She knew she was hurting, but she wouldn't admit it. Morgana came beside her. "How is she?" The Princess asked.

Gwen just sighed. "I'm afraid she's going to turn back into the person she was when she first came to Camelot." She admitted. "How could he do this?"

"The King." Morgana muttered. "He'd been arranging it for months, only telling Arthur yesterday which is why he refused to speak to anyone and locked himself away."

"Couldn't he have refused?" Gwen asked.

"It's his duty to obey his King, just as it is mine. If it had been me, I would have no say either." She admitted. "It's a sad truth."

They watched as Arthur and Elena finished their dance, and headed towards them. Without saying a word, he went out of the door that Merlyn had gone through not too long ago in search of her while Elena stood awkwardly beside them.

"He's gone to find.. Merlyn is it?" She asked. Morgana nodded, smiling at her. "I know that this is an awkward situation, but I hope that we can one day be friends." She admitted.

"Of course." Morgana smiled at her. "Elena, this is my maid and good friend, Gwen." She introduced them.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Merlyn?" Arthur called out, trying to find her around the castle. He had already been to Gaius' chambers, Morgana's, the Gardens and even his own in case she had gone there. Almost giving up, he decided to check the stables to make sure that Taika was still in her stall.

Entering, he saw that she was stood brushing the horse's mane. "Merlyn.." He spoke quietly. She didn't acknowledge him, and just continued on with what she was doing. He came to stand by the other side of the horse, before grabbing a brush.

"What do you want Arthur?" She asked quietly, not wanting to scare the horse. "Your fiancé will be missing you."

"Merlyn.. You know I have no choice." He sighed.

"Everyone has a choice." She replied.

"I have a duty, Merlyn, to my people and to my King just as Elena does." He argued.

"Why are you telling me this?" She questioned.

"Because I needed you to know.. If things had been different.." He sighed.

"But things aren't different. You are who you are and I am who I am. I hope you are happy Arthur and she seems nice." She shrugged, putting her brush down.

"Merlyn.."

"No. Don't make this harder than it already is." Tears threatened to fall. "If you'll excuse me, I don't think I will be able to attend the wedding. I hope you understand." He nodded sadly to her. The wedding was planned for two days time. After all, what was there to wait for?

She stepped away from Taika before walking away sadly. Arthur stayed with Taika for a few more moment, before quickly checking on his own before leaving.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur fixed his ceremonial chainmail and adjusted his cloak in the mirror of his room. This was it. After today he would be a married man, no necessarily happy, but married nonetheless.

Morgana popped into his view in the mirror as she walked over to him. "Are you ready?" She asked sadly. She could see what this was doing to both Arthur and Merlyn. Merlyn had barley been seen since the engagement, not that she blamed her.

"As I will ever be." He sighed as she stepped in front of him and began to fix his cloak for him. "Thanks." He muttered.

"You know you don't have to do this." She spoke.

"You know that I do." He looked sadly.

"This is unfair." She sobbed. "I guess I was deluding myself to think that we would be able to marry those who we wanted to."

Arthur pulled her into a hug, softly stroking her hair. "Don't worry. You will never have to do this." He assured her. "I will do everything to make sure that it won't happen." He kissed the top of her head.

"You can't promise that." She shook her head, pulling away. "But thank you anyway."

"I promise you." He stared her dead in the eyes. "I will not let that happen." She smiled sadly, brushing away her tears.

"You shouldn't have to do this. There must be other ways of creating allies."

"Don't worry about me." He smiled sadly at her. "I'll be fine."

"No, you won't. You will say that it is fine, but it's hurting you just as much as its hurting Merlyn and even Elena. She is a nice person, but you don't love her."

"It's my duty."

"You have a duty to the Kingdom, but you also have a duty to yourself. Remember that." She kissed his cheek before leaving him to finish getting ready.

-x-x-x-x-x-

They were stood side by side, in front of the bishop just as they were meant to be. Elena looked beautiful in her dress, but she wasn't Merlyn. He smiled at her, but his thoughts drifted. Was he doing the right thing? Would they both be unhappy because they are doing this for their fathers?

"Wait." He whispered, making the bishop stop in his speech. Elena turned to look at him, slightly confused. He turned to her, glancing at the look of anger on his father's face before looking back at his bride to be. "Do you really want to do this?" He spoke quiet enough for no one else to be able to hear them. He saw her glance at their fathers. "Take away our father's and the alliance. Do you truly want to marry me?"

She saw the serious look in his eyes and shook her head slightly. "No."

"Both our hearts belong elsewhere, so why put ourselves through pain? How about we pledge our allegiance to each other in a bond of friendship instead." He offered. The crowd was beginning to whisper amongst themselves, but Arthur ignored them.

"I agree." She smiled. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek before they both turned to the crowd. Everyone silenced.

"There will be no wedding today." Mutterings began as he glanced at his father's furious face. "Instead, we will bond our Kingdom's in friendship." He saw the smile on Morgana's face, and the pride that beamed through. "Today, we are both here out of duty. Despite the fact that we were both willing to go through with this wedding for our Kingdom's, we will both admit that we would be better off as friends than be forced into a marriage that neither of us want." At that point, he addressed their fathers. "We ask for your permission to abandon this wedding and use this as an opportunity to build our relations."

Uther looked furious at his son. He looked at Godwyn, who seemed almost sad when he looked at the two of them. "Is this what you want?" He asked Elena.

"It is." She nodded, reaching out and holding Arthur's hand. "We put our duty before our feelings, but we both admit that if it wasn't for our obligation to our Kingdom's we wouldn't be stood here right now." She then looked to address Uther. "My Lord, you son is a wonderful man and he will make some girl very happy some day, and as heir to the throne of Gawant, I want to pledge that we will stand by your side when in need and I hope that you will do the same."

Godwyn turned to Uther. "If this is what they want.." He did not want to force them if they truly did not want the marriage. He did not want his daughter to resent him in years to come if their marriage was a loveless one, like so many of them before had been.

"Permission granted." He still didn't look too happy, but Arthur could live with that. "Friendship will strengthen our Kingdoms and we will stand beside you in your time of need." He agreed. Arthur looked at Elena and the two of them smiled at each other, breathing a sigh of relief. Uther then looked to his guests. "Please stay to enjoy the feast that has been prepared and we will toast in friendship."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Darkness had fallen over the castle hours ago. Merlyn sat up in her room. She refused to let her tears fall. When she looked out of her window, she could see people coming and going, torches lighting their way. They were celebrating the marriage of their future King. Everyone was there, but she couldn't force herself to watch him marry another woman.

Gaius had left to attend the wedding, and had asked if she would be all right. She assured him that she was fine. She had wanted to get on her horse, and run away, but she couldn't. She wasn't running away anymore. It may be hard to watch him with his wife, but she was his protector and she would protect no matter how much pain it caused her.

A soft knock came on the door of the quarters. Sighing, she stood up and shuffled her way down the little set of steps, thinking someone would come looking for Gaius. She was wearing an old tunic and a set of soft pants, but she wasn't exactly expecting to go out fighting any time soon.

Opening the door, she was surprised to see Arthur stood on the other side of the door. She looked confused, whereas he looked relaxed. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"So I can do this." Without letting her react, he stepped forward and held her cheek as he kissed her while his other hand rested on her waist.

It wasn't like their first kiss when their anger was all over the place, and neither was it like their other kiss that was filled with relief. This one was different. It was of declaring feelings and leaving nothing unanswered.

She followed his lead, clutching the hair at the nape of his neck while her other hand played with the bottom of the white linen shirt he had changed into before coming to see her. She let her thoughts go from her mind, focusing solely on the feel of his lips against hers, his hand that was slowly rubbing circles on her side.

He slowly pulled away as she glanced up at him with questioning eyes. "I couldn't go through with it." He told her. "Not when my heart belongs to someone else."

"Arthur.. Your father.." She began to argue his decision, but he was quick to silence her.

".. is mad, but he will get over it." He told her. "Neither of us wanted it, and Elena has someone she wanted to go home to as well." He paused for a moment, resting his forehead against hers. "Everything I do is for the benefit of this Kingdom. One day I will be King, and when the time is right, I will be the one to choose who will be my Queen."

She smiled up at him before pulling him towards her for another kiss, one that he was only too glad to return.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"She really did that?" Merlyn laughed as they sat side by side on her bed, hands entwined as her head rested against his shoulder.

"Yeah." Arthur laughed. "She's going to wake up with one hell of a hangover in the morning." He grinned.

A comfortable silence filled the room as they could hear noises from outside. Neither of them wanted to break it, but both were thinking the same thing.

"Arthur?" Merlyn asked. He hummed in response. "How are we going to do this?" She asked. "If the King finds out.."

He turned and kissed the top of her head reassuringly. "We will figure it out." She smiled and closed her eyes as he squeezed their joined hands.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**I know some of you are thinking FINALLY!.. I will admit that this is the longest I've gone in a story at keeping the main characters apart for so long, but it felt necessary for the development of the characters.. Please review! x**


	23. Chapter 22: Fury of the Wild

_A/N - Thanks for the reviews x_

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 22 – Fury of the Wild**

Night time around the castle was sometimes the most peaceful time of the day. Everyone retreated to their own chambers, and those who didn't live within the castle walls went back to their homes and to their families.

Since the wedding that never was, Uther had been short with Arthur. Despite having agreed to their request of creating a bond of friendship rather than marriage, he believed that Arthur was trying to question his judgments. Arthur had been the perfect example of what a Prince should be since that day, never questioning orders and hardly ever speaking up unless he felt he had something important to say. He had decided that he shouldn't rile the King up, not after he was the one to stop the wedding.

Morgana had surprisingly well behaved recently as well. She had realized to what extent Uther would go to secure his Kingdom, and while they had strengthened with their allegiance with Gawant, there was no telling when he would decide to use her own marriage to his advantage.

In public, Merlyn and Arthur were just the same as they always have been. They argued, they bantered; they insulted each other at every chance that they got. Their sparring was just as intense as that first day, but when they were in private they were even worse. They would still do everything else, but they would also be affectionate, share soft whispers and share looks. Due to the nature of their public relationship, no one questioned the amount of time that they spent together alone. Officially, she was still classed as his advisor, and so would always be somewhere around.

Few people knew of their change in relationship. Morgana, Gwen, Gaius as well as the Warriors, which now included Gwaine after Merlyn had persuaded Arthur, were the only ones who knew, and were sworn to secrecy. The girls were delighted as was Percy and Lance. Gwaine was a little jealous in the beginning, but he soon came around after seeing them together. Gaius and Leon were another story. While neither of them would betray their trust, they were worried about the consequences if Uther was ever to find out. Leon was his oldest friend and was happy that he was happy, but he was also a Knight. He had to look at things at all the angles. Gaius wasn't happy with the idea, and warned them both to be careful. If anything were to happen, Uther would not react kindly.

"Do you really have to go?" Arthur whined as Merlyn was leaving his chambers for the night. He held her around the waist, trying to stop her from leaving.

She laughed before kissing him softly. "You know I do." She laughed. "Gaius isn't happy about this to begin with. If I didn't come back at night he would have a heart attack!" She laughed.

"I could always order you to stay." He suggested, a sly smile gracing his face.

"You can try all you want. When have I ever listened to your orders?" She smirked, challenging him.

He seemed to think about it for a moment. "That's true. You really are a rapscallion." He teased.

"Wow, someone swallowed their dictionary." She joked, giving in and kissing him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He hummed in response, holding her tight against him. Groaning, she pulled away. "I really have to go."

"I know." He groaned, kissing her forehead. "I wish you didn't have to though."

She smiled at him before she tensed a little. He was about to question her, but she put her finger on her lips for a second. He listened as well, trying to pick up on what she had heard. "Who's wandering the castle at this time of night?" He whispered, hearing footsteps going away down the corridor. She gave him a look since she would be 'wandering around the castle at this time'. "You know what I mean."

Letting go of her, he opened the door to his chambers as silently as possible and they stepped down the corridor. From the windows of the hallways, Merlyn spotted a figure looking around suspiciously before heading out of the courtyard with a cloak on.

"Arthur.." She pointed and they watched as the person turned. Her eyes turned gold as she focused in on the person and saw who was sneaking out of the castle. "It's Agravaine."

He stepped back into his chambers, collecting his sword before he took her hand. "Let's go find out who he's been meeting with." He smirked, as he lead her down the corridor.

"I know a quicker way out of the castle." She whispered.

"Yeah?" He asked, wondering why he was really surprised.

"Come on, this way." She nodded her head, before releasing his hand and they quietly ran through the halls.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"This actually makes sense." He laughed to himself. "How else would they have gotten a dragon in here without there being a big hole."

She just grinned, leading the way out of the castle via the dragon tunnel. It would bring them out in the forest, and that was most likely where Agravaine would be going. She could trace him using her magic, now that she didn't have to hide it from him.

They stepped out into the dark woods and stopped to listen for any signs of people. When there were none, her eyes flashed gold as she looked for any trace or scent of Agravaine. "Is that how you always seemed to know where you were going?" Arthur asked, amused. "Here I was thinking you were a really good tracker."

She grinned. "If it wasn't almost pitch black, I wouldn't need to resort to magic. Don't need it." She pointed in one direction. "That way. We have to be quiet, he's not far away." She warned him.

Nodding, they quietly made their way through the darkness. A few times Merlyn warned him about branches or stumps, but generally they made it without any incidences. Arthur spotted a torch up ahead, and signaled for Merlyn to stay silent. They crept closer until it was clear that Agravaine was meeting with a woman.

"Damn it." Merlyn muttered, seeing the person he was with. Arthur looked confused at her, both staying low to the ground. "That's Morgause, she's a sorceress."

"Can you hear what they are saying?" He whispered, knowing she would tell him later about who Morgause was.

Merlin's eyes turned gold, enhancing her already brilliant hearing.

"Arthur doesn't trust me." Agravaine hissed. "He didn't answer my questions about Merlyn's miraculous recovery. I think he knows something. He has already been asking questions about my attack on that village."

"They must be in the castle." Morgause hissed. "Who fits the age?" She asked.

"There must be tens of people. There hasn't been any questions raised with any of them. They must know we are looking for them by now and gone into hiding." He muttered.

"Time is of the essence. You must find them." Morgause insisted. "My employer is getting restless."

"Tell him I will not fail."

"You better not." Morgause hissed.

They watched as Morgause disappeared in a whirlwind of dust and Agravaine started to head back towards the castle. Merlyn thought over what she heard, before Arthur took her hand and dragged her back towards the Dragon tunnel.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Whose Morgause?" Arthur asked when they were back in his chambers safely. Merlyn had enchanted his chambers so that they could speak without being overheard. After all the times she had snuck around, she knew how easy it was be overheard.

"You know when we travelled to the Feorre Mountains?" Arthur nodded, remembering the time they shared a bed in the tavern because the owner thought that they were married and it was the last room. "The real reason I went there was to a temple in the Mountains. It's a place where there is a door between the world of the living and dead. The dragon warned me saying that someone was going to attempt to break the seal, and it would cause havoc on the living world. That's where I was that night."

"It was Morgause wasn't it? The one trying to break the seal?" He questioned, sitting down on his bed, leaving room for her to join him.

"Yes, and Agravaine was there as well. I don't know why he would want it, but she attempted it. She opened a window into the world of the dead but I stopped her before she could break it."

"What's Agravaine doing with her? What's his plan?" He questioned.

"I think Agravaine is the one behind all of the kidnapping and everything." She admitted. Arthur looked at her confused. "Outside, I heard him saying something about they needed to find 'the one' and that they might have gone into hiding. He said something about you being suspicious of him."

"Well he's got that right." He scoffed. "What's so special about this person? I don't understand it."

"We are going to have to keep a closer eye on Agravaine that's for sure. Morgause is working for someone else, so I think its safe to say that someone is wanting to attack Camelot." She surmised.

"Tomorrow, Agravaine has a meeting with the King. We can sneak into his chambers and find something against him. If he is working against us, we need evidence before we can do anything about it." He told her.

"What about what you found out while I was away?" She asked.

"It won't hold up. The soldier I spoke to died soon after and there is no one else who will testify." He sighed.

"What about me?" She offered. "I mean, I was there."

"The King won't believe you over Agravaine, and after calling off the wedding, the King won't listen to me either." He admitted.

"So we have to find something else." She sighed. "When I've searched his room before, I've never found anything."

"What about in his safe?" He asked.

"What safe?"

"He had a safe installed a while ago. I could never crack it, or even find it, but you.."

"Perfect." She grinned, leaning over to kiss him. "We make a pretty good team."

"Yeah, we do." He returned the smile. "Stay here tonight." He told her. He saw her about to protest, but pleaded his case. "It's really late and if someone saw you they would be suspicious of where you've been. Gaius is probably already asleep so there is no use in waking him up and you can go back early morning and no one will know."

Sighing in defeat, she accepted. "Fine!" He grinned. "But no funny business." She warned him.

He held up his hands. "No funny business. Got it."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Agravaine whistled as he left his chambers, heading towards a meeting that he had with Uther and a couple of the other advisors. Merlyn and Arthur hid around the corner, waiting until he was out of side before they snuck into his room.

"You know you're kinda hot when you go super spy." He teased her as they began searching his room.

"Shut up." She smiled and blushed as she went through his desk drawers. Arthur was looking behind the paintings on the walls. He couldn't remember which one it was behind, but had once overheard his Uncle say something about a safe.

"There's nothing here." He groaned. "Where else could it be?"

"Floorboards?" Merlyn offered. "He must keep some sort of record." She stepped into the center of the room. "You look through those papers. You will know what he should and shouldn't have more than me."

He nodded, heading over to his desk as Merlyn's eyes turned gold as she studied the floorboards, searching for any hint of where a safe could be hidden. "Got it." She announced, shifting a rug out of the way on the floor. Arthur came beside her, and pulled up a floorboard that was loose. They shared a look before pulling up a few more, revealing a metal safe. He heard her whisper a spell, before a click in the safe.

Pulling on the handle, it revealed several books and other documents. Taking them out, they shut the safe and covered it with the rug once more. Deciding to read them in private, they exited his chambers, heading across to Arthur's.

Arthur sat at his desk, reading through one of the journals. It was an account of the Purge, different battles and different people that had magic that were killed. He read that his own brother was killed for disagreeing with Uther.

Merlyn was at the table, reading through one of the books as well. She read of the executions of some of the magic users, the creatures that they hunted and even the capture of the great dragon. Her heart bled for all those who suffered.

Arthur shifted on to the documents, seeing that he had plans for the underground tunnel system that hadn't been used in centuries. He had the locations of all the entrances as well as where they came out in the castle. Everything he found made it look more and more like Agravaine was planning an attack on Camelot, but what he couldn't figure out was why.

He looked up when he heard Merlyn's breath go ragged. Tears flooded her eyes, as her hands began to shake. He stood and walked over to her, reading over her shoulder.

_He thought he could outsmart me, but he was wrong. Balinor is still alive, living in a village on the border of Cenred's kingdom. He is the last dragonlord, and when killed by me, his power will be released and I will finally be able to get what I was meant to have by birthright; powerful magic. When he dies by my hand, his power will be transferred to me._

Her father. Agravaine had been searching for him, not believing that he was dead.

_He's dead. It gave me pleasure seeing the pain in his eyes and watched as the life drained out of him. The village was slaughtered, punishment for hiding the filth. It was burnt to the ground. Soldiers are combing the forests for anyone who might have escaped, not that it matters. Winter will soon come and they will have nowhere to go. They will freeze and starve to death. The fields were torched and the livestock killed._

Before Arthur could stop her, she had jumped from the chair and sprinted out the door. He started after her, knowing exactly what she was capable off, but hoping that he could stop her before she did something stupid.

"Merlyn!" He shouted after her, running to catch up with her. Servants moved out of the way, showing the direction that she took. He heard gasps before he rounded the corner and saw Merlyn have Agravaine up against the wall, with a dagger pushed against his throat.

"Merlyn.." He spoke softly, taking small steps towards her. "Don't do this." Agravaine looked terrified, unsure what was happening. Servants ran away, as guards appeared, having heard the commotion. Some began to approach them, but Arthur put up a hand, halting them. "Merlyn.."

"No." She growled, chest heaving in pure anger. "No, I should have done this long ago. First time he stepped foot in that room."

"Merlyn.. Listen to me.." He took another step. "You can't do this." He winced as she pressed the blade deeper against his skin.

"He took everything away from me!" She screamed.

"I know.." He assured him. "Merlyn, I know what he did.. But this isn't the way.." He prayed that she wasn't beyond reasoning. If she killed Agravaine, she would be tried for murder, even possibly treason since Agravaine was advisor to the King. There would be nothing he could do to save her.

"Merlyn.. If you do this, then he wins." He told her. "What he did was unforgivable, but if you kill him, he will win."

"I can't let him go. Not now." She cried, eyes never leaving Agravaine's startled ones.

"She's nuts!" He gasped. Crying out in pain as the blade started to cut him.

"Shut up!" Arthur hissed at him. "I'm trying to help you here, which is much more than you deserve."

Arthur glanced down the hall and his eyes caught Gwen's startled ones. She had been doing some chores for Morgana. She had never seen Merlyn like this, bloodthirsty.

"Merlyn.. Listen to me.. He ruined your life once.. Don't let him do it again." Something seems to strike with her. She turned to look at him. For the first time he saw just how broken she really was. Everything that happened to her had happened because of Agravaine. It was that moment that had changed everything from what it was meant to be. But it was this moment that would determine who she would become.

"Trust me." He took a step closer to her, watching her eyes carefully. "Trust me, he will pay for everything."

Tense moments passed. The dagger clattered to the floor. Within the same second, she was pulled into his arms, sobbing violently. "Arthur.." She cried.

Agravaine dropped, bending over and clutching his neck, taking deep breaths.

"Shhh.." He soothed her. "Hey, it's okay." He held her as tight as he could. He took a deep breath of her scent, pressing her head against his shoulder.

"Sire?" One of the guards addressed him, not really sure what they were meant to do.

"Arrest him." He told them. The guards looked confused for a second.

"Me?! Arrest the nutcase that just tried to kill me!" He shouted, but the guards were beside him.

"You are under arrest for the massacre of Ealdor.." Agravaine's face paled to a ghostly white. "Communicating with a known sorceress and for treason." Arthur spat at him in disgust. "Take him away." He ordered as soon as the guards clasped him in irons.

Percy ran down the corridor, hearing of the standoff between his cousin and the King's advisor. He had no idea what was going on, but ran over to them when he saw Merlin clutching Arthur like she would never see him again.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I need you to do something for me." He told him. Percy nodded. "Go down to the dungeons and whatever you do, make sure that Agravaine is put in those cells and let no one in, not even the King. If he does come, tell him to come to my chambers." Percy agreed, giving a concern look to Merlin who was still sobbing. "I've got her." Arthur assured him. "Gwen." He called her over, as she was still stood in shock at what had transpired. "Go get Gaius and get him to meet us in my chambers." She nodded and quickly ran off.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur stood as he watched Merlyn sleep on his bed. Gaius had come and had given her something to calm her down, and once she did she effectively passed out.

Gaius had asked what had happened, and Arthur suggested that he waited until the King arrived and he would tell both of them. As predicted, the King stormed into his chambers, furious.

"What is the meaning of this?!" He bellowed. He didn't even register Merlyn in the room. "Why have you had your Uncle arrested?"

"For treason, among other things." He calmly replied. "I have been suspicious of him for a while."

"Why?" Uther demanded.

"Because of Merlyn." He admitted, nodding in the direction of the girl.

"She should be the one arrested!" Uther bellowed. "Attacking a member of the royal court."

"With good reason!" Arthur argued back.

"Perhaps we should all calm down and listen to what has happened." Gaius suggested to the two stubborn royals. Arthur nodded, pointing to his table and they all took a seat.

When they had all calmed down, Arthur began. "Do you remember months ago when I asked you if you knew of any villages that were attacked about ten years ago?" He asked the King. Uther nodded, recalling the conversation. "I asked you that because the village that was attacked borders on Cenred's Kingdom. Ten years ago soldiers baring our flag rode into that village in the middle of the night and slaughtered the villagers, torched houses and destroyed livestock." Gaius seemed to pale at the description. He had learnt of the demise of Ealdor, but never the full details of what happened. As much as he wanted to ask Merlyn, he feared how she would react. "Father, the soldiers were lead by Agravaine."

"Impossible." The King dismissed. "How did you learn of this?"

"Merlyn. She was there that night. She watched as her family and friends were killed as her home was destroyed." He explained. "When she told me that it was Agravaine, I didn't believe her and began to do my own research. I found a list of all the names of soldiers from around that time and narrowed down the list to three men. Before he died, Thomas Hildey confessed to the attack, confirming that it was Agravaine that led the attack. If that wasn't proof enough, we broke into his safe and found these." He handed the book to Uther.

He watched Uther's expression as he read the page. It ranged from disbelief to outrage as he learnt the true nature of his closest friend. Once he finished reading the entry, he passed it along to Gaius who too read it. "He will be tried for his crimes."

"That's not all." Arthur picked up the scrolls of maps, documents with people's names and locations on as well as contracts on certain Knight's lives. "He's been plotting against us. We believe that he is the one behind the bandit attacks looking for whoever. We followed him the other night and he met up with a known Sorceress, Morgause, and overheard them talking. I believe that he intended to lead an army into the city and use the tunnels to take us by surprise."

"I think I know who they are after." Gaius announced, after reading a couple more entries. "Here, it says.. _Emrys is out there.. I need to find them to gain ultimate power.."_

"Have the Knight's searching for this Emrys." Uther ordered. "Agravaine will be questioned and then tried for his crimes." He declared. "You shouldn't have kept this from me Arthur." He scolded his son.

"I did what I had to." With a nod of the head, Uther stood and left the room, furious with Agravaine and also himself for being fooled for so long.

Gaius still sat at the table. "She knew all this time that it was Agravaine was the one who killed her family?" He asked. Arthur nodded. "Why did she never mention anything?"

"She's not the most open of people. After she recognized him, I think she was binding her time, but after she read that entry, she was like a woman possessed." Arthur sighed. "She will be alright, won't she?" He asked, looking over at the passed out woman.

"Exhausted, and fragile mind, but yes, she will be fine."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn was sat on a chair in front of the fire in Arthur's room. She had come around and Arthur had sent for some food for her. She had refused to eat, but gave in with having some soup. She stared into the flames, off in her own world.

"We know who he was looking for." Arthur told her as he sat in a chair beside her.

"Who?" She asked, looking at him.

"He mentions it in his book several times, just a name. Emrys." He explained. Arthur had spent the time she had been out reading through the rest of the journals learning what his plans were.

"What?" She looked in panic.

"Why? Does that mean something to you?" He asked. "Was it someone in your village or something?"

"Emrys was the Goddess of Dragons, she is the founder of the Dragonlords." She explained. "Arthur, he's looking for me."

"I don't understand." He was beyond confused.

"Each time a Dragonlord dies without an heir, their power is released. Before I was born, the other Dragonlord that was remaining was killed, it left my Dad the last Dragonlord. When he had me, I gained the rest of the power of the Dragonlords and when my father died, the power was completed. I am the last remaining Dragonlord. I have the power of Emrys." Arthur sat and looked at her in shock.

"All this time.. It's me they've been searching for."

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Things are starting to conclude.. Not many chapters left to go.. Please review.. x**


	24. Chapter 23: Any Means Necessary

_A/N - Thanks for the reviews!.. I'm going to up the rating now for the remaining chapters because of a fair bit of violence, more so in the chapters after this.. **So here is the warning.. **Anyway, here begins the last huge development in the story (probably the biggest because this lasts for the remaining few chapters).. Four chapters remaining (including this one).. Can't wait to get my claws into the next story!.. Anyway, enjoy x_

-x-x-x-x-x-

**Chapter 23 – Any Means Necessary**

The castle was quiet, its inhabitants settled down for the night. Guards patrolled the hallways, but they were easily evaded. His dark clothes helped him to blend into the shadows, just as he had been taught. Stepping silently down the halls, he headed towards his destination.

'_They really need to have more guards.'_ He smirked to himself. This would be the easiest mark he would have, considering the target.

He came to the door, opening it silently, stepping into the chamber. The room was dark, it's owner asleep in the bed, just as he should be. Stepping up, he stood beside the sleeping figure.

"Goodbye, Uther." He raised the dagger above his body, before plunging down.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn was wearing her pants and an old tunic as she sat with her feet curled beneath her on Arthur's bed. Since the revelations over the past few days, things had been hectic around the castle. Agravaine was questioned about who he was working with and what they had planned to do, but he refused to speak. She had wanted to question him, but Arthur refused to let her go anywhere near him. She argued with him at first, but eventually she saw his point of view.

She sighed as she leant back against the pillows at the headboard, watching as he walked around the room, looking for something. He removed his shirt, throwing it in a pile at the bottom of the bed before he headed over to his wardrobe. Her eyes followed him shamelessly, a small smirk on her lips as they roamed his body that was on display. He pulled out a shirt before he turned to see her watching him.

"See anything you like?" He smirked as her eyes flicked up to his.

"Maybe." She grinned before he pulled the shirt over his head, covering his torso much to her displeasure. "How are things going with your father?" She asked. It had been a point that neither of them had really brought up because of the messed up situation.

"Still angry." He shrugged. "But at least he isn't angry at me anymore. He just can't believe he was fooled for so long." He sat down beside her. "Agravaine was like a brother to him, and all along he was deceiving him." He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards him as his legs rested out along the bed. "How are you doing?" He asked. He'd tried not to smother her too much, knowing it would just cause her to lash out, but he was still worried about her.

She sighed, turning her face into his shoulder. "I'm alright. It's just been so long, I sometimes thought that it would never happen." He kissed her head. "I don't know what's worse, the looks of pity people keep giving me or the look of fear that people expect me to flip out on them."

"Things will calm down soon enough." He assured her. "I think everyone is just on edge."

"There is one thing I'm grateful for though." She turned her head up to look at him.

"Yeah? What's that?" He questioned, looking down at her.

"You." She smiled before leaning up and kissing him. He smiled into their kiss, thanking his lucky stars that he was where he was right now. His hand travelled down to her waist, pulling and turning her towards him. She was half kneeling beside him, one hand supporting her and the other at the side of his head.

The warning bells rang, and they quickly broke apart. They looked startled at each other for a second before she moved back to where she was, as Arthur swung his legs down off the bed, sitting on the edge when the door flung open.

Leon barged into the room, not even bothering to knock with a look of panic on his face. "Arthur.. It's the King." Colour from his face drained as Arthur bolted from the room in his socked feet, not waiting for any further explanation.

Merlyn grabbed her dagger from the table after shoving her feet into her boots, following behind him with Leon. She almost ran into the back of the Prince when he was stood in the doorway of the King's room. She stepped past him, eyes going wide at the scene in front of them.

The King's body was deathly white, blood staining the sheets and floor to the place where he rest back against the bed on the floor. Gaius rushed past them, checking on the King's condition as Arthur seemed to gather use of his feet to stumble forwards.

"Father!" He dropped to his knees beside him.

Merlyn turned to Leon whose face was as white as a sheet. "What happened?" She asked.

"We don't know. A serving girl had come in to collect his dishes for the night and found him like that. She screamed, alerting the guards. I went to you as soon as I heard." He told her.

"Put guards and Knights on every entrance in and out of the city and the castle." She told him, taking over Arthur's usual role as commander.

"Already done." He assured her.

Her face seemed to pale a little as she suddenly thought of something. "Oh no." She bolted from the room, with Leon on her heels as they ran down into the dungeons. The guards on the doors were dead, and Percy was slumped over beside the cell door. Leon ran over to check on Percy while Merlyn rushed into the cell. "He's gone." She growled.

Percy slowly came around. He would have a headache for a while, but he was alive at least, which is more than she could say for the guards. "I'm sorry." He groaned, rubbing his head as Leon helped him up. "I tried to stop them.."

She arrived back at the King's chambers. Morgana was collapsed against the wall outside, balling her eyes out. As soon as he saw her, Leon went over to hug her, and she clung on to him for dear life.

Merlyn entered the room once more. Arthur was distraught. Gaius looked devastated as he shook his head. Arthur's hands were covered in blood, his clean shirt smudged in red and sodden in tearstains. She glanced at Gaius who just shook his head, telling her that he was already dead. There was nothing that could be done. All the magic in the world couldn't bring someone back from the dead.

She dropped to her knees in front of Arthur, and she pulled his head to her chest and closed her eyes as he gripped her tight, not letting her go. Blood from his hands stained her shirt, but that wasn't important right now. The King was dead and the traitor was gone.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Merlyn had managed to get Arthur back to his rooms, and he sat in a stunned silence, unable to move, staring into the fire. Leon had passed Morgana over to Gwen who had rushed to the castle when the alarms had been raised, as did the other members of the Warriors. Percy was being seen to by Gaius as all the Knights were searching the castle and city. They were under strict order to not reveal any information to anyone.

Leon knocked on the door before he popped his head around. Merlyn stood and greeted him by the door. By now she had changed, wearing her armor with her weapons close by.

"What news?" She asked, trying not to let Arthur hear, not that he was paying any attention anyway.

"No one saw or heard anything. We haven't been able to find Agravaine or whoever.." He trailed off, still not believing that someone would murder the King.

"If it is who I think it was, you won't find him." She stated. "They'll be long gone."

Another Knight rushed into the room, and address the two. "Sir Leon, Merlyn.. There is word of an army gathering."

"Where?" She demanded.

"From the east." He stated. "They will be here by midday tomorrow. They are camped past the border of the forest."

Merlyn and Leon rushed out of the room and out onto the battlements. The torches from the camp could be seen through the night sky.

"Damn it." She cursed. "This was all planned. This is what he was planning."

"Killing the King was a distraction, put the Kingdom into turmoil before they attack." Leon agreed. "What are we going to do?" He asked.

"We fight." Arthur's voice sounded behind them. He'd snapped out of his shock when he'd heard his door slam shut after Merlyn and Leon's hasty exit, pushing his grief to the back of his mind. "Leon, get every abled Knight and Soldier; have them gather in the courtyard. Merlyn, gather the Warriors and start getting the women and children into the castle. When they attack, they should be safe inside, but if the worse should happen, they can escape through the dragon tunnel and into the forest to the south." Leon nodded, heading off to complete his orders.

Merlyn stayed still for a moment. "Arthur.. You don't have to do this." She told him. She knew what grief could do to you.

"Merlyn, I am the Prince." He sounded angry at her suggestion, snapping at her. "I am there leader and after this is over, I will take my place and become King." His voice was hard, and demanding. It wasn't the voice of the Arthur she knew. "Do as I command." He glared hard at her.

She nodded once, before stepping away and back into the castle. She knew this way the only way Arthur knew to deal with it. She had a job to do.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Gwaine, Lance and Eylan were all rushing around the castle, trying to help out where they could when Merlyn found them.

"I need you all to go into the town, knock on every door and get everyone into the castle." She told them, after she had called them to her. "We are preparing for a siege." Lance and Elyan left without question, heading into the lower town.

"Merlyn, what's going on? Is it true? Is the King dead?" Gwaine asked as he walked beside her.

She stopped walking to look at him, before nodding sadly. "There's an army camped, half a days ride away. They will be here by midday and we need to get everyone out of the city and into the castle. If things turn bad, they can escape through a secret passage into the forest."

Gwaine nodded, running to catch up with the others. Merlyn looked up at the battlements. It was dark, so the only thing she could see without using her magic was the outlines of figures with torches behind them.

"Merlyn!" Gwen's voice caught her attention and she turned to see the maid heading towards her.

"How's Morgana?" She asked, concerned.

"Not very good. Who would do such a thing?" She asked in shock.

"It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better." She admitted. "Gwen, I need you to get Gaius and the other servants and start to make room in the great hall, anywhere you can fit people. Also set up a hospital area, we're going to need it."

Gwen gasped. "Is it really that bad?" Merlyn nodded sadly. "Gaius has just finished with Percy so we will get on it."

"Get Percy to stay and help. I know he blames himself, but tell him that this is not his fault." She asked. Gwen nodded before running back inside. Merlyn paused for a minute before she took headed off into the lower town. People needed to get out of danger as soon as possible.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Arthur paced the great hall as the Knights, soldiers and citizens filed in as Leon had requested. Sun was bordering on the horizon, and most people were shattered having been up all night running around warning people or guarding the entrances and exits. Leon stood just behind him, while all the others were stood in front him, waiting for him to speak in silence. Merlyn stood in the front row off to the side.

"What you have heard is true." He addressed them. "Last night, the King was murdered in his bed. It was a cowardly attack by a person who also set Agravaine free. Despite efforts, they were able to escape from the castle without being seen. Now, there is an army of men travelling from Cenred's Kingdom that will arrive in a few hours. I need each and every abled-bodied man to take up arms and help to defend our city, our home." He called to arms. "They have struck with an act of war, and we will be repaid in kind. They have attacked our home and I for one will not stand by and let them take it from us. Who is with me?" Silence filled the room, the people still in shock learning the demise of their beloved King.

"I am." Merlyn stepped forward, pledging her loyalty. Arthur's eyes snapped to hers. He gave her the smallest of smiles, but it gave her all the hope she needed.

"I am." Leon spoke from behind him. Lance, Gwaine, Percy and Elyan all stepped forwards as did all of the Knights. Some of the men from the town shouted up, raising their arms.

"So am I." Morgana stepped out from where she had been stood at the edge of the room out of view. "I will fight." Arthur wanted to argue with her, but the look in her eyes was a similar one to the one that he had in his eyes. "For Camelot."

"For Camelot!" Was shouted around the room. Arthur looked out of the people and nodded.

"We only have a few hours." He announced. "Men, go to the armory and collect any weapons and armor that you can find. Prepare yourselves." He ordered. "Everyone else, those who have any sort of medical knowledge, your help will be appreciated by Gaius when the time comes. Mother's keep your children safe." Everyone started to move around as Merlyn stepped forward, knowing that they needed to talk about strategy.

"Merlyn, Leon, Morgana." He called them all and they all headed to his chambers.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Morgana, I would prefer it if you were here and not out there." Arthur told her honestly. "If something were to happen to me.."

"Nothing is going to happen to you." Morgana determinedly told him. "You know I am more use out there with you than in here." She glanced at Merlyn for back up, but Merlyn gave nothing away. She glanced at Leon not wanting to say what she was about to in front of him.

Arthur looked at Leon. "Can you give us a minute?' He asked him. Leon nodded and headed out of the room, and stood in the corridor.

"I may have just been able to control my magic, but I can do some simple spells to help out, and I am a good fighter too." She insisted. "You know it."

Arthur looked to Merlyn. "What do you think?" He asked.

Merlyn considered things for a moment. She knew Morgana's worth, but she also understood that Arthur wanted to keep her safe. She looked between the two of them. "I can't say what you should do. Yes Morgana, you are a good fighter, but if you are out there, Arthur will be worrying about you getting hurt, as will others which could mean they will get hurt instead." She argued. "But, your magic can come in useful. I can teach you some simple spells which can do more damage, but each time you do a spell, it will weaken you." She stood and thought for a moment, before she had an idea. "How about a compromise.." She suggested.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The Knights were running around, making sure everything was order, preparing some of the men. They stood on top of the battlements, watching as the enemy's army got closer.

"Can you see who leads them?" Arthur asked.

Merlyn focused her eyesight in on the front of the army. Her blood ran cold at the sight of them. "Morgause, Cenred, Agravaine and Mordred." She told him.

"So Cenred is who Morgause was working for." Arthur surmised.

"Maybe, but only in his mind. If anything, he was working for her. They need his army." She announced. "It seems Helios sent Mordred to do his dirty work."

"He's the one who killed my father, isn't he?" Arthur asked. Merlin nodded. "He's mine." He growled.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The men were stood outside the castle walls. They lined up, weapons ready. The Knights and Warriors were in the first line, with soldiers and guards behind them with some of the townsmen mixed in.

Arthur stood at the front of the army, watching as the other army stepped closer. He looked to Merlyn for support, and she smiled at him softly. He was born for this.

He turned to his other side and saw Morgana looking nervous. "You can always turn back. No one will judge you." He assured her as she stood in her chainmail, with a sword at her side.

"I am fine." She reassured him.

The army in front of them stop, a way away from them. Agravaine stepped forward with Cenred as did Arthur and Leon. They met in the middle before the battle began.

"Arthur, it's nice to see you." Cenred smirks at him. "Surprised by our little visit? I'm sorry to hear about the news of your father. Terrible accident."

"You have one chance to turn around and take your army home, Cenred." He addressed the arrogant King.

"Join me Arthur. With me, you can become the greatest King this world has ever seen." Agravaine offered him. "You don't stand a chance with your little army."

"I fight for my Kingdom. I would rather die for her than betray her." He snapped. "You betrayed your family, you plotted against us, and you will pay for your crimes."

"Can't say I'm surprised. You always were stubbornly loyal to your people." Agravaine sneered. "Now, you will die along with them."

"I wouldn't count on it." All four of them stepped away from each other, heading back to their own armies.

Arthur turned back to face the enemy before looking at Merlyn. "You ready?" He asked. A smirk crossed her face as a loud roar filled the air.

She looked up at the dragon as it flew overhead, roaring. "I am now."

Agravaine's face paled as the dragon came into view. "Emrys.. He's here." He muttered in shock. The men roared before two sets of armies clashed.

"For Camelot!"

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**And so the battle begins.. Only 3 chapters remaining!.. Please Review.. xx**


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